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One in three British adults (33 per cent) would rather see Count Binface winning the Clacton by-election, a new poll has shown.
Only 21 per cent told YouGov that they would like to see Nigel Farage re-elected as MP, while nearly three in four (74 per cent) said that the parliamentary standards commissioner should be investigating the Reform UK leader.
Mr Farage is under increasing pressure as scrutiny grows over his financial affairs, with it emerging that the Metropolitan Police has been investigating £500,000 of donations to his political party for more than a year.
The Clacton MP resigned and called a by-election in which he will run, but his main opponent is likely to be parody candidate Count Binface, after mainstream parties refused to participate.
Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice has insisted a donor at the heart of a row over the party’s finances comes from a “very successful aristocratic family” and the ongoing row is a “politically motivated smear”.
According to The Times, convicted fraudster George Cottrell’s mother, Fiona, made two £250,000 payments to Reform before the last general election in 2024, and also gave £1 million to Britain Means Business, which Mr Tice is a director of.
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Could there be a second by-election in Clacton?
Nigel Farage is currently the subject of an investigation by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg over whether his failure to declare the £5 million gift on becoming an MP in 2024 breached Commons rules.
That investigation was suspended on his resignation, but is likely to resume if he wins the by-election and returns to the Commons.
If he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed, it could trigger a recall petition and the prospect of Mr Farage losing his seat, forcing a second contest.
Holly Evans10 July 2026 15:03
Cap private political donations to restore trust in British democracy, think tank says
A cap on private political donations would rebuild trust in British politics, a new report has argued.
Published by think tank the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), the major report makes the case for a “radical overhaul” of the UK’s democracy through a new model of “democratic citizenship”, in response to a crisis of pride in the country and growing disillusion with the current political system.
It has proposed several reforms that it believes will rebuild trust in the UK’s political institutions and boost national unity.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans10 July 2026 14:37
British public more likely to prefer Count Binface than Nigel Farage, poll shows
A new poll has revealed that the British public are more likely to prefer Count Binface wins Clacton by-election than Nigel Farage
In a hypothetical forced choice head-to-head, 1 in 3 British adults (33 per cent) would prefer Count Binface to win the Clacton by-election, giving him a 12ppt lead over Farage (21 per cent). Statistics from YouGov showed that 32 per cent said neither, while 13 per cent don’t know.
Nearly 3 in 4 (74 per cent) state that the parliamentary standards commissioner should be investigating whether the Reform UK leader broke parliamentary rules.
Meanwhile, 73 per cent say investigation should continue even if Farage wins the by-election.
Commenting on the findings, Keiran Pedley, Research Director at Ipsos in the UK said: “Of course, it is the people of Clacton that will vote in the upcoming by-election and not the public overall.
“But the fact that just one in five Britons would prefer Nigel Farage win reflects how his personal poll ratings have fallen over the past year – even if Reform supporters remain very much behind him.
“Elsewhere in the poll we see strong support for parliamentary standards investigations continuing even if Mr Farage wins the by-election. Suggesting his assumed victory will not make these issues go away.”
Holly Evans10 July 2026 13:55
Burnham facing backlash from UK Jewish leaders over Gaza comments
Andy Burnham has been hit by backlash from Jewish leaders who say they have “significant concerns” over his indication he will oversee a tougher policy on Israel in support of Gaza.
The prime-minister-in-waiting issued a video on social media on Thursday in which he apologised for Labour’s previous response to the violence in Gaza, and admitted that the government had been too slow in calling for a ceasefire.
In the video, he said: “I know many people feel that at the start of Israel’s military action in Gaza, my party didn’t get it right – and I am sorry about that. The response has too often not been good enough. We need to do better.”
While the statement has welcomed by many in the Labour party, the Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council expressed concern over the comments on Friday.
“We have been in touch with Andy Burnham’s team to convey directly our significant concerns in relation to his remarks yesterday,” the groups said in a statement.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans10 July 2026 13:20
Watch: In The Room | Will Burnham make you richer?In The Room | Will Burnham make you richer?
Holly Evans10 July 2026 13:00
What Clacton’s history tells us about Farage’s by-election chances
This result saw him unseat the incumbent Conservative MP, Giles Watling, who garnered 27.9 per cent, while Labour trailed in third place with 16.2 per cent.
The Liberal Democrats and Greens secured 4.4 per cent and 4.2 per cent respectively, placing them considerably behind the main contenders.
The coastal Essex constituency of Clacton, established in 2010, boasts a colourful political history.
Its first MP, Conservative Douglas Carswell, famously defected from the Conservatives to the UK Independence Party (Ukip) in 2014, then under the leadership of Mr Farage.
Mr Carswell subsequently resigned his seat, triggering a by-election which he won for Ukip, increasing his majority.
He held the seat at the 2015 general election – the only constituency won by Ukip in the country – but left the party two years later after disagreements with colleagues, becoming an independent MP.
At the next general election in 2017, Douglas Carswell did not stand as a candidate in Clacton and the seat was won by Giles Watling for the Conservatives with 61.2 per cent of the vote, while the new Ukip candidate polled only 7.6 per cent.
Nigel Farage then announced early in the 2024 campaign that he intended to return to his job as Reform leader and that he would be the party’s candidate in Clacton.
Holly Evans10 July 2026 12:45
Farage’s by-election stunt could see him consigned to the dustbin of history
It may be more than a coincidence that one of Kemi Badenoch’s advisers – an Australian strategist called Timothy Smith – worked for Sir David Davis in 2008 when he called a surprise by-election.
The Tory MP triggered a poll in his Haltemprice and Howden constituency in protest over then-prime minister Tony Blair’s plans to introduce 42 days of being able to hold terror suspects in detention without being charged.
In calling the by-election, Sir David had to resign from the Tory frontbench where he was shadow home secretary. But debate over the issue – which he saw as a major infringement of civil liberties – failed to catch fire when nobody serious stood against him.
Read the full analysis from our political editor David Maddox here:
Holly Evans10 July 2026 12:30
When is the Clacton by-election and who is standing?
The Labour Party, the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Restore Britain have all said they will not stand candidates in the by-election, leaving independent candidates and Count Binface to contest it.
Read the full article here:
Holly Evans10 July 2026 12:15
Starmer pays tribute to Ann Widdecombe
Sir Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Ann Widdecombe, calling her “a distinctive figure in British politics for many years”.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister was saddened to hear of the death of Ann Widdecombe.
“She was a distinctive figure in British politics for many years, and he pays tribute to the conviction and dedication with which she served her country.”
Holly Evans10 July 2026 11:58
The strange and surprisingly moving story behind Count Binface
When the residents of Clacton come to cast their votes in the newly announced by-election later this summer, it seems they will have a choice between two main candidates: a man with a habit of spouting (what is, to some) total rubbish and… a sentient bin.
This week, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage set out his plans to resign as the MP for Clacton and stand again for his seat, following a scandal over undeclared gifts, including £5m from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, which is being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner.
His intention, he has said, is to be judged by his constituents rather than “the establishment”, arguing that he has done no wrong and that the probe is a “political tool”. His opponents, however, see this move merely as Farage’s latest attention-grabbing feat, a way to shift the focus away from the investigation, which will be suspended during his campaign.
Read the full analysis here:
Holly Evans10 July 2026 11:41