Nigel Farage wins election in which his main rival was a trash can | CNN

Nigel Farage has comfortably won a special election that he triggered, meaning he will remain as a member of parliament after a contest that all the other major British parties boycotted, leaving his main opposition as a comedian dressed as a trash can. Farage, leader of the populist hard-right Reform UK party, was ultimately re-elected by a substantial margin, winning 22,239 votes – 1,000 more votes than he won in the 2024 general election. His main opponent in the by-election, Count Binface – a self-described intergalactic space warrior – won a creditable 9,455 votes, indicating the presence of a considerable anti-Farage vote, even in one of the most right-leaning areas in Britain. Farage, the country’s chief anti-immigrant activist and Brexit architect, claimed an overwelming victory, posting on X: “The result in Clacton speaks for itself.” He was already the MP for Clacton but resigned from parliament – triggering the by-election – after facing unprecedented scrutiny over his finances. That scrutiny led to an investigation by the parliamentary standards committee, which will now resume after being paused for the election. Farage did not give a victory speech aft