Nigel
Fa age,
Leade
of
B itai ‘s
Refo m
UK
pa ty
stood
agai st
‘Cou t
Bi face’
to
fight
fo
a
seat
as
MP
i
UK
Nigel
Fa age
secu ed
a
co fo table
victo y
i
the
UK
pa liame ta y
by-electio .
Howeve ,
the
biggest
challe ge
eme ged
was
a
self-p oclaimed
i te galactic
space
wa io
d essed
as
a
t ash
ca ,
i
a
co test
that
was
boycotted
by
all
majo
Westmi ste
pa ties.Fa age,
leade
of
Refo m
UK,
secu ed
22,239
votes,
o
63.3
pe
ce t,
to
etai
his
Clacto
seat.
His
closest
challe ge
was
Cou t
Bi face,
the
sati ical
pe so a
of
comedia
Jo atha
Ha vey,
who
eceived
9,455
votes,
o
26.9
pe
ce t.
Why
was
the
by-electio
held?
Fa age
became
Clacto ‘s
MP
at
the
2024
ge e al
electio
but
esig ed
f om
Pa liame t
i
July
amid
sc uti y
ove
his
fi a cial
affai s.
The
esig atio
t igge ed
a
by-electio ,
which
Fa age
the
co tested
to
wi
back
his
seat.Fa age
had
said
he
wa ted
the
people
of
Clacto
to
judge
him
ove
the
allegatio s,
f ami g
the
electio
as
a
co test
betwee
vote s
a d
the
political
establishme t.Labou ,
the
Co se vatives,
Libe al
Democ ats,
G ee s
a d
Resto e
B itai
all
decli ed
to
field
ca didates,
calli g
the
electio
a
political
stu t
o
gimmick.The
abse ce
of
the
majo
pa ties
left
Fa age
faci g
33
othe
ca didates,
ma y
of
them
i depe de ts
o
ovelty
ca didates.
O ly
Fa age
a d
Cou t
Bi face
etai ed
thei
£500
deposits
afte
the
vote.
Who
is
Cou t
Bi face?
Cou t
Bi face
is
the
sati ical
cha acte
played
by
B itish
comedia
Jo atha
Ha vey.
He
campaig ed
i
a
disti ctive
bi -shaped
helmet,
desc ibi g
himself
as
a
i te galactic
space
wa io .His
ma ifesto
was
built
a ou d
political
sati e
a d
delibe ately
absu d
p oposals.
I
Clacto ,
he
p omised
to
atio alise
si ge
Adele,
“cut
you
taxes,
a d
aise
eve yo e
else’s”
a d
impose
a
wi dfall
tax
o
celeb ity
c ime
ovels.Despite
the
jokes,
Bi face
secu ed
26.9%
of
the
vote,
o
mo e
tha
o e
i
fou
votes
cast.
It
was
a
st o g
pe fo ma ce
fo
a
ovelty
ca didate.Afte
the
esult,
Bi face
joked
that
he
had
wo
amo g
the
ca didates
who
had
“bothe ed
to
tu
up”,
efe i g
to
Fa age’s
abse ce
f om
the
cou t.
Why
the
by-electio s?
The
by-polls
we e
t igge ed
because
Fa age
esig ed
afte
faci g
sc uti y
ove
a
£5
millio
gift
f om
Refo m
UK
do o
Ch istophe
Ha bo e.
A
pa liame ta y
sta da ds
i vestigatio
had
bee
exami i g
whethe
he
failed
to
decla e
the
gift.Fa age
has
de ied
w o gdoi g
a d
a gued
that
esig i g
a d
seeki g
e-electio
would
allow
vote s
to
delive
thei
ve dict.The
i vestigatio
was
paused
afte
he
esig ed
but
has
ow
esumed
followi g
his
victo y,
epo ted
BBC.If
the
sta da ds
commissio e
fi ds
that
Fa age
b eached
pa liame ta y
ules,
he
could
face
sa ctio s,
i cludi g
suspe sio
f om
the
House
of
Commo s.
The
p ocess
could
ultimately
t igge
a othe
by-electio
i
Clacto .Fa age
did
ot
atte d
the
decla atio
of
the
esult,
sayi g
police
had
wa ed
him
about
a
alleged
campaig
to
dis upt
the
eve t.
He
late
told
suppo te s
he
was
“dam ed
if”
he
would
sta d
o
a
stage
afte
a
” esou di g
victo y”
o ly
to
be
“demea ed
a d
humiliated
by
obodies”.Essex
Police
said
the e
had
bee
o
i cide ts
o
issues
a d
that
atte di g
the
cou t
was
a
decisio
fo
i dividual
ca didates
a d
thei
secu ity
teams.The
by-electio ,
co tested
by
a
eco d
34
ca didates,
is
estimated
to
have
cost
taxpaye s
about
£250,000.