Nigel Farage wins UK by-election as Count Binface claims ‘moral victory’ - Taipei Times

AFP, CLACTON-ON-SEA, United Kingdom

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Hard-right British politician Nigel Farage was re-elected to his parliamentary seat yesterday in a by-election shunned by the major parties — handing his main rival, joke candidate Count Binface, a larger than expected share of the vote.Farage, who triggered Thursday’s polls by resigning from the parliamentary seat he had held since 2024 over an investigation into his finances, swept 63 percent of the ballots in Clacton, results showed. While votes were still being counted, Farage had declared victory,and refused to attend the official count.

A combination photo shows Reform leader Nigel Farage, right, speaking during a conference in London on July 17, and his main rival, Count Binface, posing for a photo in London on April 25, 2024.

“The verdict is in and it is a convincing and overwhelming win,” he said. Meanwhile, Count Binface — the alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey — exceeded expectations, taking 9,455 votes, or 27 percent of the total.