Thousands head to the polls in Clacton as Nigel Farage goes head-to-head with Count Binface

As many as 75,000 Britons are set to make their voices heard today at the Clacton by-election - the sixth at Westminster since 2024.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned as an MP to trigger the contest at the start of July, calling the poll a "people vs establishment" vote.

Mr Farage was being investigated by the parliamentary standards commissioner over a £5million gift, which he received before taking his seat in the Commons.

Under Commons rules, new MPs are required to register any gifts worth more than £300 they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift "could not be reasonably thought by others" to relate to their political activities.

That investigation was paused when Mr Farage resigned his seat, but will resume if he wins.

None of the other main Westminster parties stood candidates to take part in this contest, with Mr Farage one of 34 people - largely independents - standing instead.

Among those to contest the seat is satirical candidate Count Binface, whose real name is Jonathan Harvey.

Mr Harvey studied classics at Oxford, has worked as a scriptwriter for comedy shows including Have I Got News for You, and has stood against Boris Johnson, Andy Burnham, Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan at various elections in the past.

The Reclaim Party's Laurence Fox, the Social Democratic Party's William Clouston and three candidates from the Monster Raving Loony Party join the record-breaking list of candidates in Clacton today.

Polling stations open at 7am today and close at 10pm.

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Senior Conservative pledges to end 'debt trap degrees'

A senior Conservative has said the party would end so-called "debt trap degrees".

Neil O'Brien told GB News: "We know that for a chunk of people who go to university, it turns out to be economically, at least not worthwhile.

"There's good quality work by groups like the Institute of Fiscal Studies that show for about a third of people who went to university even a while back when graduate premiums were higher.

"But it wasn't worth it economically that they end up with quite large debts, quite low earnings, and feeling often that they have been ripped off.

"So what we're saying is this will end these debt trap degrees stop people being put on courses that actually don't do them any favours in the longer term.

"Instead we'll use the money that the Government currently subsidises those debt trap degrees with to do two things.

"Firstly, to end the real interest rates on these plan two loans so that graduates are no longer ripped off. Secondly, to provide people with more choices. Going to university is not the be all and end all."

Zero hours contract ban could cost employers up to £3bn a year

A ban on zero hours contracts could cost businesses up to £3billion a year, according to Government analysis.

But proposed reforms are still expected to “support growth” by improving conditions for workers, an impact assessment published on Wednesday says.

The direct cost to employers of a ban as a whole could be between £350million and £2.9billion per year, with an "indicative central" estimate of £1.1billion, according to the data.

The Government is consulting on whether to apply the policy to anyone working 48 hours a week, but its preference is for the threshold to be between eight and 20 hours.

Ministers have defended the reforms by arguing they will help millions of workers who face uncertainty over their weekly hours and earnings, and unions have said a ban will help offer greater security in the event of shifts being cancelled at the last minute.

In its analysis, the Government said the proposals would mean workers were expected to receive payments of between £5million and £1.2billion because of the right to payments for shifts getting cut or moved at short notice.

It said the measures are expected to “support growth through improved worker wellbeing and engagement”, which research suggests is linked to increased productivity.

Labour minister defends ban on zero hour contracts

Skills minister Baroness Jacqui Smith has defended the Government’s proposed ban on zero hours contracts.

Her comments came after Government analysis which suggests the move could cost businesses up to £3billion a year.

Speaking to Sky News, she said: "We will look very carefully at how we implement the changes that we have put in place through our Employment Rights Act.

"But just to remind people why we did that in the first place, that’s to make sure that when people get into work, that will be work that is fairly paid, where they’ve got security, where they can combine it with the responsibilities that they have in their families."

Economy alert: GDP grew by 0.4% in second quarter of 2026, ONS confirms

Britain's economy grew by 0.4 per cent between April and June, according to figures released this morning by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The gross domestic product (GDP) figure for the second quarter of 2026 comes after economy contracted by 0.1 per cent in April before returning to modest growth of 0.1 per cent in May.

However, the ONS also confirmed that GDP jumped by 0.3 per cent in June despite growing concerns over the price of oil in response to conflict in the Middle East.

It represents the first full quarter of data to land on the desk of Chancellor John Healey, who took charge of the Treasury only last month following Andy Burnham's arrival in Downing Street.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

What happened in the last by-election like this?

Back in 2008, Tory Sir David Davis resigned his seat in protest at plans to extend the legal detention of terror suspects without charge to a maximum of 42 days.

Like in Clacton, Sir David stood against a record number of candidates, then 25 - but the other Westminster parties refused to stand, branding his campaign a stunt.

Only he and two other candidates kept their deposit in the end: Green Shan Oakes and English Democrat Joanne Robinson.

Sir David eventually took home just shy of 72 per cent of the vote, but on a tiny turnout: only 34.5 per cent of voters turned up.

The then-Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, called on the then-Shadow Home Secretary to fund the cost of the vote to the taxpayer, estimated at £80,000, from his own pocket.

Today's contest is estimated to cost taxpayers around £250,000.

But Sir David's campaign was ultimately successful: The 42-day detention proposal was ultimately defeated and dropped, and terror suspects can be held for a maximum of 14 days today.

Sheer number of candidates means Clacton result could be more than 24 HOURS away

The result of today's crunch vote may not be announced until as late as 7am tomorrow morning.

The uber-long list of candidates - outlined below - means ballot papers in Clacton are almost one metre long.

Tendring District Council and returning officer Ian Davidson, in charge of the count, have also endured logistical problems due to the 90cm-long paper.

It means larger tables than usual will be required at the count and the result will be announced on the floor of Clacton Leisure Centre rather than on a stage due to the number of candidates who would have to fit on it.

READ IN FULL: The record-breaking list of candidates at the Clacton by-election

• Joseph 77 (Independent);
• Adham Alkhatip (The Forward Party);
• Count Binface (Count Binface Party);
• Nick The Incredible Flying Brick (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party);
• Tony Cane (Independent);
• Woke Trump Carrzee (Independent);
• William Stuart James Clouston (Social Democratic Party);
• Rees Cowne (Independent);
• Glenn Charles Cummings (Independent);
• Martin Davies (Freedom Alliance – Real People, Real Alternative!);
• Andy Erlam (Independent);
• Nigel Farage (Reform UK);
• Attieh Fard (Independent);
• Laurence Fox (The Reclaim Party);
• Tony Francis (Independent);
• Robin Green (Independent);
• Abi Hookway (Independent);
• Howling Laud Hope (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party);
• Stephen Richard Ingram (Independent);
• Amy Morris (Independent);
• Derrick Norbert Morris (Independent);
• Michael Noel O’Keeffe (Independent);
• Martyn OBrien (Independent);
• Nick Pelas (Independent);
• Ketankumar Pipaliya (UK VOICE safer and stronger UK);
• Daniel Pocock (Independent);
• James Ransley (Consensus Party Candidate);
• Gerry Smith (Independent);
• Kai Stephens (British Democrats);
• John Stevens (Rejoin EU);
• Baron Von Thunderclap (The Official Monster Raving Loony Party);
• Pamela Walford (Independent);
• Marcus White (Everyone is God Party);
• Marc Wilkinson (Independent).

'It's the people vs the establishment' - Nigel Farage issues message to voters before polls open

Before polls open at 7am today, Nigel Farage said: "At the beginning of summer we called this by-election to give the people of Clacton the chance to have their say on the endless political attacks on me, my family and those around me.

"It's given us the opportunity to knock on tens of thousands of doors, making the affirmative case for what I've done for the area, and what Reform will do for Britain."

"It's not just about me," he added. "It's about the people versus the establishment."

The by-election "is our chance to send a stunning message to the political class: Britain needs Reform, Britain wants Reform, and Britain demands a General Election".