Nigel Farage is the MP for Clacton once again after winning the by-election he triggered just over a month ago.The Reform UK leader will return to parliament with a boosted vote share of 63 per cent from the coastal constituency, and having received just over 100 more votes overall than in 2024.Mr Farage did not attend the count after he claimed that Essex Police had informed him of a credible threat against him – a claim Essex Police have denied.He told reporters: “I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory... and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies.”Political satirist Count Binface came second, receiving just under 27 per cent of the vote – more than Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Greens combined in the 2024 general election, and nearly equal to the Conservatives.For the latest political updates following the Clacton by-election, follow The Independent’s live coverageReform’s victory was widely predicted by pollsters after other major parties refused to put forward candidates, leaving the science-fiction themed candidate as Mr Farage’s main rival for the Essex seat.It was Count Binface’s best-ever result at a parliamentary election, having won just 0.1 per cent of the vote against Boris Johnson in 2019, 0.6 per cent against Rishi Sunak in 2024, and 0.2 per cent against Andy Burnham in Makerfield earlier this year.Winning more than five per cent of the vote means he will have his £500 deposit returned to him for the first time. However, the other 32 other candidates who stood have forfeited their fee, netting £16,000 for the Treasury.The comedian said he was “over the moon” following the result, adding: “Over one in four people in this constituency would rather have Count Binface as their MP than the leader of Reform UK.”Count Binface reacts to coming second in the Clacton by-election as Nigel Farage misses the event (Reuters)The 34-strong ballot paper at the election broke the record for the most candidates to contest a single seat, despite no major political party standing aside from Reform.Among the other higher profile candidates was actor turned activist Laurence Fox, representing the far-right Reclaim Party. The former Lewis star secured only one per cent of the vote, losing him his deposit.His party is not to be confused with Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain, which also refused to field a candidate at the controversial contest.It will come as a blow to Mr Farage that Count Binface was able to take more than a quarter of the vote in the constituency. The Reform leader’s stated aim at the contest was that “the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions” regarding the parliamentary standards investigation into his financial affairs, which will now resume.Turnout was also markedly low at the event, at 35,111 – around 10,000 less than in 2024 and the lowest since the constituency was created in 2010.Mr Farage had been criticised by political opponents for calling the by-election as a “stunt” to distract from his affairs, as parliamentary commissioner Daniel Greenberg CB and Metropolitan Police both continue to look into allegations around an undeclared £5 million crypto donation and other financial interests.Chair of the Labour Party, Bridget Phillipson, commented: “Let’s be clear: this is no victory for Nigel Farage. The mountain of sleaze and scandal he and Reform are now engulfed in has grown and grown while he’s been trying to distract the public by fighting a by-election against a bin.”If Mr Farage is found to have broken Parliament’s code of conduct by the commissioner, sanctions could range from a forced apology to a suspension from Commons.Should he be suspended from Commons for 10 or more sitting days, constituents in Clacton are able to trigger another by-election if 10 per cent of eligible voters sign a recall petition.Crucially, Mr Farage would be allowed to stand in this contest. And today’s result, combined with his popularity in the seat, may suggest he would stand a strong chance of winning it again.However, the record result for Count Binface, combined with a much-reduced turnout, could also point to how the local community is beginning to feel about its place at the heart of this controversial political episode.