The by-election was triggered after he resigned from the Essex seat over an investigation into an undeclared multi-million pound donation.
The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner triggered a probe into Mr Farage’s £5million donation from crypto-billionaire Christopher Harborne.
Stepping down on July 7, the Reform leader said at a press conference: “I’ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions.
“And that is why I will be putting my name forward to stand in this by-election.
“I will fight to win. I will fight to continue the political revolution that Reform has started.”
None of the other major political parties put a candidate forward for the by-election with Labour and Restore Britain calling it a “circus”.
The Conservatives weighed in, describing it as a “fake by-election” and the Liberal Democrats called it “Farage’s vanity project”.
Comedy contender Count Binface emerged as Mr Farage’s main opponent as a result, with a record-breaking 32 other candidates putting themselves forward.
Mr Farage won the seat in the 2024 General Election, taking 46.2 per cent of the vote, with a 58 per cent turnout.
The results of the by-election are due to come in across the night, with GB News providing you with the latest updates.
Follow our latest live blog for coverage from Clacton throughout the night
Looking ahead to our overnight coverage of tonight’s crunch Clacton by-election, this live blog is about to close – with fresh updates, reaction and more to come in our new blog at the link below.
Provisional turnout for by-election is 43 per cent
The provisional turnout for the Clacton by-election is approximately 43%, Ian Davidson, acting Returning Officer has announced.
This figure is 15 per cent down from the 2025 General Election turnout, which was 58 per cent in the Essex constituency.
Tories double-down on calling Clacton by-election ‘fake’
Following the polls in Clacton closing this evening, a spokesman for the Conservatives reiterated how the party considered the by-election was “fake”.
They said: “Nigel Farage called this fake by-election in a desperate attempt to draw a line under the questions surrounding his fishy £5 million donation. Whatever the outcome on Friday, this stunt has not done that.”
The party previously said this, when Mr Farage stepped down from the seat on July 7, triggering the by-election.
Nigel Farage ‘can’t run from the truth forever’, says Labour
The Labour Party has said Nigel Farage cannot “run from the truth forever” as the Clacton by-election closes.
The party’s chairwoman Bridget Phillipson said: “Nigel Farage spent 38 days fighting a bin in his most desperate attempt yet to deflect attention from the sleaze and scandals engulfing him and his party.
“Farage may succeed in his run-off against a bin, but he can’t run from the truth forever. The list of unanswered questions about the £5 million gift he hid from the public, his support from a convicted fraudster and the mountain of other scandals he and Reform are facing isn’t going away.
“In fact, it’s getting longer by the day.2
PICTURED: Nigel Farage poses with ice cream as polls
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