The curtain came down last week on the summer sideshow of the Clacton byelection, called by Nigel Farage amid mounting scrutiny of his finances.
For our big story this week, Daniel Boffey explores what this campaign – in which the Reform UK leader’s main challenger was a parody candidate called Count Binface – tells us about the current state of politics in Britain.
Farage’s byelection win brought the situation full circle as, shortly after he was declared victor, parliament’s standards watchdog announced it had reopened its investigation into him, report Rowena Mason and Peter Walker.
Analysing the result, political correspondent Alexandra Topping brands the contest futile and says that while Farage aimed to make the financial questions surrounding him disappear, it was the MP himself who has been absent from the political stage over the past few weeks.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Scramble for soldiers
As battlefield losses mount, Pjotr Sauer asks whether Vladimir Putin will order another mobilisation
Science | Wing and a prayer
A disease threatening bat species has spread to northern Canada. Trina Moyles reports on the race to find a cure
Feature | A hymn to the weekend
In 1926, Henry Ford gave his employees both Saturdays and Sundays off – and the two-day chunk of time to party, pray or simply do nothing was born. Now the weekend has changed beyond recognition, says Jess Cartner-Morley
Opinion | Meet the second most dangerous man in the US
As chief US diplomat, Marco Rubio could do great good. But, says Simon Tisdall, his pandering and neglect are a disgrace we shouldn’t ignore
Culture | Through my eyes
As their new album is released, Sam Smith talks to Juan A Ramírez about fans, fame and finding sanctuary in New York
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What else we’ve been reading
• We are all visual creatures fond of nostalgia. That struck me when I spotted this story. The old WH Smith bag had me immediately back in the store in the town I grew up in and remembering its rust brown carpet. I haven’t bought any carrier bags for more than a decade but secondhand ones are a trend I could get behind. Isobel Montgomery, deputy editor
• Workers in Italy enjoy some of the longest holidays in Europe, thanks to campaigning by the country’s once-powerful trade unions. Does the culture of an August shutdown still exist there today? Jamie Mackay makes the case for the villeggiatura, claiming it promotes a slower, healthier way of life that should be enjoyed by all. Anthony Naughton, assistant editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Audio | A bestselling true crime author, and the crimes he’s accused of
• Video | The promises the Taliban made to women, then broke
• Gallery | European Athletics Championships: 25 of the best images
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