Reform UK discussion

[gg1]

Won't he just pitch that as the other parties running scared of standing against him?

As pointed out by a comment from Chris Mason on the BBC news site however, there is a precedent for this:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cn0v9l9x0g8t

What's going to be really interesting in terms of the coming battle is the response of Reform's rivals.

If we rewind the clock at 18 years, Conservative MP David Davis voluntarily triggered a by-election in his constituency over an argument that he was making about civil liberties, which he felt were being trodden on by the then Labour government.

That decision took quite a lot of Conservatives by surprise and plenty of the big other parties didn't contest that by-election.

They didn't want to play into the self-delivery of theatre, as they saw it, that Davis chose to engineer.

So let's see, the best part of two decades on, how the Conservatives and Labour and others choose to approach this.

 

[nlogax]

I'm hearing reports that Farrage has said:

Personally I would have gone for Jo Cox or Sir David Amess.

Maybe he was just talking in the context of thrown dairy produce.

 

[DarloRich]

I note Farage is saying he has not broken the law in any way at all

I don't think anyone is suggesting he has. What is being suggested is that he did not comply with the standards rules associated with being a member of parliament. IRC:

• He failed to declare benefits including staff and security, received from long-time ally George Cottrell
• He failed to declare a £5m gift from Christopher Harborne in early 2024 which he did not register (Garage said the money was for his personal security)

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jul 2026 ==

Personally I would have gone for Jo Cox or Sir David Amess.

Exactly - Quite a difference from having a few milkshakes lobbed at you!

 

[thenorthern]

Nigel Farage / Reform UK will easily win in Clacton. The only opposition to them winning is the Conservatives who at the moment are a bit dysfunctional so unlikely to win. Restore Britain could gain the seat but it's unlikely.

Any claims that Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the Green Party could win Clacton are completely misguided.

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

Nigel Farage / Reform UK will easily win in Clacton. The only opposition to them winning is the Conservatives who at the moment are a bit dysfunctional so unlikely to win. Restore Britain could gain the seat but it's unlikely.

Any claims that Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the Green Party could win Clacton are completely misguided.

Clacton are being used as pawns in Farages showmanship straight from the Trump playbook

 

[JamesT]

I'm hearing reports that Farrage has said:

Personally I would have gone for Jo Cox or Sir David Amess.

Does that show they were more attacked than Farage, or merely that those attackers succeeded?

 

[Railwaycat]

Agreed on the Greens.

Why?

 

[AlterEgo]

Does that show they were more attacked than Farage, or merely that those attackers succeeded?

Well it's semantics. Those ones were murdered, once, of course. Farage has probably had a more sustained campaign of assault at a lower level.

 

[DarloRich]

Does that show they were more attacked than Farage, or merely that those attackers succeeded?

Milkshakes v murder?

 

[thenorthern]

Clacton are being used as pawns in Farages showmanship straight from the Trump playbook

Indeed although as I say he will win.

 

[alex397]

On the Tendring peninsula along with Harwich, a town that’s justifiably proud of its role in the kindertransport and has a memorial to it.

If the area is truly proud of that, it wouldn’t be voting in people like Farage.
Can you imagine if Kindertransport happened today? Farage and his supporters would be fully against it.
(Harwich does have a Tory MP, but obviously not far from Clacton)

 

[Nicholas Lewis]

If the area is truly proud of that, it wouldn’t be voting in people like Farage.
Can you imagine if Kindertransport happened today? Farage and his supporters would be fully against it.

Im sure Lowe will field a Restore candidate and they will give him a run for his money

 

[JamesT]

Milkshakes v murder?

House being petrol bombed? The guy who was convicted of threatening to kill him?

 

[Purple Train]

Why?

Because they are the only non-far-right party that might have a chance of damaging Farage's political veneer in the campaign. Obviously they have no chance of winning.

What would be funny is if Farage wins this by-election, then is subject to a recall petition, and hence has to fight a second by-election. No doubt he would attack the waste of having a second by-election, given he has the self-awareness of a cheese sandwich.

 

[DarloRich]

House being petrol bombed? The guy who was convicted of threatening to kill him?

He clearly needs his £5m security deal then! I Wonder why he didn't put it through the parliamentary books?

BTW: No arrests have been made relating to the arson. The media reporting suggests "a lit device was shoved through his letterbox in early 2025" rather than the more dramatic "petrol bombing" you suggest!

The person convicted of making threats was obviously a nutter. That doesn't make him harmless but nothing in the media reporting of the case suggests an actionable plan to murder Farage.

PS - this should be obvious but I best say it clearly: we shouldn't be making threats to kill or actually kill any politicians, especially those we don't like! We are not Americans!

 

[Class 317]

Farage is being one clever politician by reform offering to pay the costs of the bye election which obviously they can not for fair play reasons but takes the wind out of the idea of not standing on a it's costing the tax payer unnecessarily basis.

Still think the other parties choosing not to stand would be the best policy just this may make it harder to not do so.

 

[3141]

So here is Farage trying to redefine the world, by saying that if he gets re-relected in Clacton, then "the people of Clacton" will have judged that he didn't do anything wrong in not disclosing certain gifts, and therefore it's OK, he didn't do anything he shouldn't have.

If no other serious candidate stands in the by-election there's nothing to stop other parties from commenting as loudly as possible on the waste of money he has caused, the limited interest he has shown in the constituency while he's been its MP, and anything else that might reduce the number of voters that might turn out to support him.

 

[SuspectUsual]

Farage is being one clever politician by reform offering to pay the costs of the bye election which obviously they can not for fair play reasons but takes the wind out of the idea of not standing on a it's costing the tax payer unnecessarily basis.

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. Offering something you know cannot be legally accepted makes you neither generous nor clever.

Farage knew the moment he resigned the public purse will be picking up the tab

 

[Purple Train]

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. Offering something you know cannot be legally accepted makes you neither generous nor clever.

Farage knew the moment he resigned the public purse will be picking up the tab

To be fair, Ed Davey did call on him to cover the cost himself - I presume it would be as illegal for him to cover the cost as it would be for Reform to?

 

[35B]

To be fair, Ed Davey did call on him to cover the cost himself - I presume it would be as illegal for him to cover the cost as it would be for Reform to?

Quite likely. Though one wonders what the rules would say about a disinterested donor doing so. As disinterested as, say, Christopher Harborne or George Cottrell...

 

[The exile]

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. Offering something you know cannot be legally accepted makes you neither generous nor clever.

Farage knew the moment he resigned the public purse will be picking up the tab

It does when you know that a large proportion of the electorate will believe you.

 

[thenorthern]

To be fair, Ed Davey did call on him to cover the cost himself - I presume it would be as illegal for him to cover the cost as it would be for Reform to?

It would also set a dangerous precedent to have a privately funded election as it would open the door for claims of electoral interference and unfair political advantage.

 

[Class 317]

I’m sorry but that’s nonsense. Offering something you know cannot be legally accepted makes you neither generous nor clever.

Farage knew the moment he resigned the public purse will be picking up the tab

I completely agree, Just it's a clever political move to try to make it harder for parties not to fight the bye election.

 

[Railwaycat]

Because they are the only non-far-right party that might have a chance of damaging Farage's political veneer in the campaign. Obviously they have no chance of winning.

What would be funny is if Farage wins this by-election, then is subject to a recall petition, and hence has to fight a second by-election. No doubt he would attack the waste of having a second by-election, given he has the self-awareness of a cheese sandwich.

Sorry, misunderstood - I thought you were responding to the despise remark.

Looked up Clacton on wiki, serious levels of deprivation there.

 

[Tetchytyke]

House being petrol bombed? The guy who was convicted of threatening to kill him?

His house wasn't petrol-bombed.

And, even if it was, Keir Starmer's property (or property the idiots thought was Starmer's) was torched three times, so even on the arson metric he's not the most attacked politician!

(Curiously, Mr Farage was also very quiet about the attacks on Starmer's property, except when his party decided to amplify the ridiculous conspiracy theories about "Ukrainian rent boys")

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 7 Jul 2026 ==

Any claims that Labour, the Liberal Democrats or the Green Party could win Clacton are completely misguided.

Obviously.

He wouldn't be offering a plebiscite if he thought he would lose it. Farage is many things, most of them unpleasant, but one thing he is not is stupid.

 

[Sorcerer]

I'm hearing reports that Farrage has said:

Personally I would have gone for Jo Cox or Sir David Amess.

If Farage received half the level of scrutiny in the media as Keir Starmer or Jeremy Corbyn (not to be mistaken for me taking a liking to the man) then he'd crumble under the pressure. In fact, I dare say Donald Trump has more right to claim he is the most physically and verbally attacked because he at least has been subject to assassination attempts and not just a few milkshake lobbings. Not to say that he actually is, but at least you could see where he'd get the idea.

 

[D6130]

Will he be applying for the position of Bailiff of the Clacton Hundreds....or Steward of the Manor of Northstead?

 

[Stathern Jc]

It would also set a dangerous precedent to have a privately funded election as it would open the door for claims of electoral interference and unfair political advantage.

Agree.
That's an absolute, and obvious, non-starter.

 

[TheSmiths82]

Restore are not standing as they won't want to boost Farage's ego. All the main parties should do the same then Farage will be known as the MP who narrowly beat Binface as I am sure even in Clacton there will be a large anti Farage feeling even if it isn't the majority.

 

[thenorthern]

Restore are not standing as they won't want to boost Farage's ego. All the main parties should do the same then Farage will be known as the MP who narrowly beat Binface as I am sure even in Clacton there will be a large anti Farage feeling even if it isn't the majority.

Prior to 2024 Clacton was a very Conservative constituency and let's face it the Conservatives aren't in the best of shape at the moment, so are unlikely to win there.

The Green Party have said they will stand but I can say with almost certainty they won't win there.