Nigel Farage faced a wave of criticism and mockery over his decision to quit as an MP to stand in a by-election in Clacton.
Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham joined in the political onslaught by posting an image of himself with Count Binface who may be Mr Farage’s main rival in the Essex by-election.
“Always worth knowing when bin day is,” quipped Mr Burnham.
Always worth knowing when bin day is. pic.twitter.com/tIuKFfb3Fk
— Andy Burnham (@andyburnham) July 8, 2026
As the “political circus” grew over the by-election, odds shorten for Count Binface, from 5/1 to 7/2, with over half of bets on Wednesday supporting him, according to Oddschecker.
Reform UK’s odds drifted from 1/12 to 1/6 as controversy increased over Mr Farage’s decision to resign from Parliament and spark the by-election.
There was some confusion on Wednesday over whether Mr Farage had actually resigned as an MP, which has to be done through the Treasury.
But around 2pm Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that he had.
She posted on X: “I will accept Nigel Farage’s request to be appointed Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead.
“It is a farce and a desperate distraction, and the people of Clacton deserve better.
“But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him.”
Political analysts expect Mr Farage to win the contest comfortably.
But polling expert and Tory peer Lord Hayward said the Reform leader could face a “triple embarrassment” of the main parties not contesting the election, a possible low turnout, and candidates such as Count Binface doing well.
The row comes as Mr Farage faced a string of questions over his financial affairs.
Parliament’s anti-sleaze watchdog is understood to have launched an investigation into Mr Farage over a £5 million gift from Reform donor Christopher Harborne before becoming an MP.
The Reform leader is also facing calls for a probe following reports that long-term ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for security and staffing in the year before he was elected.
Mr Cottrell reportedly recruited and paid three staff to work on Mr Farage’s social media before the general election, and has continued to allow him to use a five-storey Georgian property he rented near Buckingham Palace.
The Reform leader denies any wrongdoing, saying he had followed Commons rules.
But Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper tore into his decision to trigger the by-election.
“Well, look, the by-election shouldn’t be happening, it’s Nigel Farage who has chosen, I think, frankly, to disrespect the people of Clacton by just doing this,” she told BBC Breakfast.
“This is a stunt that is all about his own interest. It’s not about the people of Clacton. It’s not about the country. He was elected in a general election.
“He is only doing this because he wants to somehow distract from what is simply the proper application of the rules and I don’t think that is fair on the people of Clacton.”
However, Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf defended his party leader, insisting he was not attempting to evade scrutiny over his finances by calling a by-election.
“Nigel will answer those questions, that is clear. He’s already said that he will,” he said.
“The reason that he has made the decision that he has is because the most serious sanction that parliamentary standards can impose is, of course, a suspension long enough such that a parliamentary by-election would be called if there was a recall petition.
“So what he has done is say: ‘Let’s go directly to that ultimate source of truth’.”
If Mr Farage is found to have breached Commons rules on declaring interests and is suspended for more than 10 sitting days, it could trigger a recall petition – potentially leading to another Clacton by-election.
The Reform leader said he had offered for his party to pay the cost of the vote after criticism that it was a waste of taxpayer money.
But a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said election law prevented individuals or parties from directly paying for the cost of an election.
