The resort town of Clacton is, in most senses, very different to Westminster, nearly sixty miles to its south-west. Poorer, whiter, determined to be a thorn in the side of the establishment rather than the embodiment of it. In one crucial sense, though, the two are increasingly similar – both have seen remarkably little of Nigel Farage.
The Reform UK leader’s lack of interest in the Essex seaside town he claims to represent is demonstrated by the absence of constituency surgeries he claims not to hold due to security concerns. His failure to put in the hours in Parliament may come as more of a surprise after all; he tried eight times to become an MP.
But according to Commons Clipper, which records MPs’ speeches for social media, Farage is one of the chamber’s least frequent speakers. While the average MP has risen to speak 83 times so far in 2026, he’s managed all of nine. MPs are paid very nearly £100,000 a year to do their jobs, but let’s be fair, that must seem like pocket change to Farage.
This is not the only evidence that something has gone awry with Farage’s diary.
Having held press conferences as often as he has Mayfair dinners, he began to cancel them, in favour of posting on social media. He didn’t even show up to his own count at the Clacton by-election, perhaps sensibly avoiding having to stand next to the bin.
