Nigel Farage has won the Clacton by-election with more than double the votes of his main challenger Count Binface, but did not attend the vote count in person after saying he had been warned of a campaign to “disrupt” the result.

The Reform UK leader received 22,239 votes – more than the 21,225 votes he got in the 2024 general election – describing the outcome as an “overwhelming” endorsement.

Satirical candidate Count Binface, a character created by Jonathan David Harvey, secured 9455 votes in the by-election, which Farage called following scrutiny of a £5 million ($A9.5 million) donation from a cryptocurrency tycoon.

The result in Clacton speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/iQeaYxT35J

— Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) August 14, 2026

None of Britain’s major parties fielded a candidate in Clacton, and as polls closed, Labour and the Conservatives said the result would not draw a line under the saga.

Speaking to GB News at a party-organised event in Essex before the results were declared, Farage was asked whether he had won, and replied: “Yeah, very convincingly – I’ve managed to beat the establishment candidate.”

He added: “Look, this is an overwhelming endorsement of me. I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal.

“Do you know, if I made one sin, if I haven’t filled in a piece of paper, I’ve broken no law, I’ve broken no tax law, I’ve taken no public money, I don’t even own a motorhome.

“Maybe I haven’t filled in a piece of paper. I’m confident that I’m right, we’ll see where we go.

“I put this to the people of Clacton, said ‘You decide my future’, and tonight they will.”

Farage said he would not be present at the count because ‌of a police warning about an “organised campaign to disrupt and degrade” the result.

“I am damned if I’m going to stand on a ‌stage, having won a resounding victory … and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies,” he said.

“I will not, sadly, be attending the count.”

Count Binface reacts after the declaration for the Clacton by-election count. Photo: PA

Farage also said he had been proved right to call the by-election after he claimed “attacks” and “threats” towards his family had reduced.

A record 34 candidates stood in the by-election. Satirical candidate Count Binface was Farage’s main challenger.

Speaking to Sky News ahead of the result being declared, Count Binface referred to the possibility of a second by-election in the seat if Farage was found to have broken Parliamentary rules.

“You just said at the beginning of this interview that Nigel Farage is claiming victory, but in that case it’s going to be a two-legged match like the Carabao Cup or the Cold War, because we’re going to be back again in a few weeks aren’t we? We’ll see what happens then,” he said.

“Even if I got to 12 per cent, so one-in-eight people in Clacton would rather vote for a space warrior shaped like a bin than Nigel Farage, that would be interesting wouldn’t it?

“If it goes higher and higher and higher, it says more about what the actual population thinks about Nigel Farage than maybe this election.”

Turnout was 44.37 per cent, just more than 14 per cent down on the 2024 general election turnout.

Extra staff and resources had been put on to deal with the election.

Before quitting Westminster, Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg over a £5 million ($A9.5 million) gift from cryptocurrency tycoon Christopher Harborne, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

That investigation was paused when Farage resigned his seat but will resume after the by-election.

The main Westminster parties refused to take part in this contest but could stand if the outcome of the standards investigation into Farage results in another by-election.

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 Farage losing his seat, forcing a second contest.

In the 2024 general election, Farage won Clacton with 46.2 per cent of the vote and a majority of 8405 over his Conservative rival.

–with AP / Reuters