Nigel Farage will learn his fate in his fight against a bin in the early hours of Friday morning - as polls closed in the Clacton by-election.
The vote - expected to cost the taxpayer around £250,000 - was triggered by the Reform chief quitting as an MP earlier this summer. He was facing a Commons probe into the failure to declare a £5million gift he received from Thai-based crypto billionaire, Christopher Harborne, ahead of the 2024 general election.
Mr Farage was seen arriving to cast his vote in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, on Thursday in the contest he attempted to frame as a "people versus the establishment" showdown. But he was left embarrassed as his political stunt backfired last month, with Reform UK's major rivals at Westminster, including Labour and the Tories, boycotting the contest.
Mr Farage still faces a record 33 contenders, including comedy candidate Count Binface, three from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, and an array of independents. The result of the contest is expected after 5am on Friday morning.
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