While Nigel Farage boasted about his “overwhelming” win in the Clacton by-election, locals on the Union Jack-adorned Pier Avenue, where residents are out by the sea making the most of the hot weather, have mixed views.
There is a palpable frustration and exasperation with politicians in general – and with the media scrutiny that has hit the seaside constituency since the Reform UK leader stood down and triggered a by-election.
Occupants of a car driving down a street adjacent to Pier Avenue shout “Reform UK” as they spot journalists interviewing locals.
‘This is England – it’s how it should stay’
Sitting on a bench as seagulls squawk around her, Farage supporter Jane Smith tells The i Paper she cast her ballot for him because “he’s trying to get people out who shouldn’t be here”.
