Has Farage’s Clacton by-election backfired?

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Story – Has Farage’s Clacton by-election backfired?

Podcast: The Story (The Times)
Episode: Has Farage’s Clacton by-election backfired?
Date: August 11, 2026
Host: Rosie Wright (reporting from Clacton)
Guest: Josh Glancy, Sunday Times Associate Editor

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Episode Overview

This episode examines the political drama surrounding Nigel Farage’s decision to trigger a by-election in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. Amid investigations into Farage's finances and falling poll numbers for his party, Reform UK, host Rosie Wright speaks to local voters and Sunday Times journalist Josh Glancy. The central question: Has Farage’s “people versus the establishment” gamble backfired, both locally and nationally?

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Key Segments & Timestamps

1. Setting the Scene: Clacton’s Political Climate

[01:03 - 04:17]

• Rosie Wright reports from Clacton amid summer holidays, describing a town with a "sleepy holiday atmosphere" but a highly charged political mood.
• Farage announced his resignation and by-election: “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.” (Farage, 02:00)
• Funding scandal looms: unreported £5 million donation from a crypto billionaire, which Farage repeatedly denies is an issue.
• Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves calls the by-election “a farce and a desperate distraction.” (Josh Glancy paraphrasing, 02:45)
• The main question: is this by-election hurting Farage more than helping him?

2. Local Voters: Farage's Persistent Support – and Doubts

[04:31 - 13:40]

• Clacton is framed as “Brexit territory… Reform UK heartland.” (Rosie, 04:35)
• Some voters are die-hard Farage supporters:
  • “Nigel Farage is God.” (Local voter, 06:36)
  • “He is a very fair man, so I don’t think he would try to diddle Clacton at all.” (Carol Thorpe, 05:42)
• Persistent themes:
  • Disillusionment with Conservatives and Labour.
  • Immigration: “Try and stop all these immigrants.” (Local voter, 07:39)
  • Some apathy and sense of resignation:
    • “I think he’s abusing democracy by calling this election. He ought not to have done it.” (Local voter, 09:50)
  • Frustrations over lack of options and representation for local issues; business owners feel “puzzled and considering protest votes.” (12:15)
• Protest vote appeal:
  • Count Bin Face, a comedian, receives up to 20% support in some polls.
  • “The whole thing’s turned into a circus.” (Philip Brooks, barber, 12:54)
  • “His was the only [manifesto] that actually had any Clacton-specific promises.” (Brooks, 13:26)
• Increasing cynicism: “This is a joke by-election. There’s nothing serious about it at all.” (Local voter, 11:48)

3. National Perspective: Analysis with Josh Glancy

[17:47 - 31:07]

• Farage’s and Reform UK’s popularity:
  • Poll numbers dropping from highs near 30% to 22-23%.
  • Farage’s favorability drops to “minus 42.” (Glancy, 18:25)
  • “There’s clearly a decline in fortunes and popularity for Reform.” (Glancy, 18:25)
• Scandals and challenges:
  • Funding controversies have “had an effect on Farage,” especially outside his base.
  • Rise of competing parties, especially Restore (Rupert Lowe).
  • Conservative and Labour parties have shifted right on immigration – “we’re all living in the world that Nigel Farage has created.” (Glancy, 23:17)
• Farage’s claim: “Nobody cares, nobody cares, nobody cares” about funding allegations. (Farage, paraphrased by Glancy, 21:08)
• Reality:
  • For his base, funding scandals are dismissed or even boost support.
  • Middle Britain’s “broader sentiment is… there’s something a bit off about Nigel Farage. They don’t quite trust him.” (Glancy, 21:54)
  • “Farage is seen as something of a liability as well as an asset.” (Glancy, 04:06 & 21:54)
• The impact of splinter parties:
  • Restore targeting Reform’s right flank, chipping away at potential vote share.
  • Possible alliance between Farage and Lowe would be “fraught and fragile.” (Glancy, 25:11)

4. Policy Theatre and Media Strategy

[26:24 - 28:59]

• Farage tries to dominate political agenda with attention-grabbing policies (e.g., deporting criminals to El Salvador, sending the Royal Navy to intercept migrant boats).
• Harder for Farage to control the narrative as “other parties have caught up” and his financial issues stay in the headlines.
• These “outlandish” ideas reinforce Reform’s branding as radical and anti-establishment, even if largely unworkable in practice.

5. By-election and Implications

[28:59 - 31:07]

• Farage likely to win, but what does this achieve? Investigation into finances paused for now, may resume and force another by-election.
• Cycle of melodrama: “People…will think this is ludicrous. I mean, this man resigned and triggered a pointless by-election. Now we’re having another one. Why all this histrionics?” (Glancy, 30:12)
• Two key metrics to watch: turnout and protest vote share—they’ll reveal whether Reform’s polling woes are mirrored in its base.
• Broader political implications: Labour still enjoying a honeymoon, but long-term impact will play out post-budget and amid continued scandals.

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Notable Quotes

• Nigel Farage:

  • “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.” [02:00]
  • “Nobody cares, nobody cares, nobody cares.” [multiple references by Glancy]

• Local Voters:

  • “Nigel Farage is God.” [06:36]
  • “I think he’s abusing democracy by calling this election.” [09:50]
  • “He’s done nothing for us in the last two years.” [11:04]

• Josh Glancy:

  • “Farage actually is seen as something of a liability as well as an asset.” [04:06, 21:54]
  • “There’s clearly a decline in fortunes and popularity for Reform.” [18:25]
  • “We’re all living in the world that Nigel Farage has created, not just because of Brexit…” [23:17]
  • On alliance with Rupert Lowe: “Any political relationship between those two is likely to be fraught and fragile…” [25:11]
  • “In a funny way, [the funding scandal] can help him rile up his base.” [21:13]

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Conclusion: Has Farage’s Gamble Backfired?

Takeaways:

• The by-election has sharpened questions about Farage’s integrity, Reform’s sustainability, and the resonance of anti-establishment politics in 2026.
• While Farage’s core support in Clacton remains, polling drops and protest votes signal fatigue—even among previous backers.
• Nationally, Farage still sets the tone, driving the Overton window, but faces diminished trust and internal fractures.
• The episode closes by reading the (extraordinarily long) ballot: 34 candidates, including several protest and comedic entries, emblematic of the current anti-politics mood in Clacton.

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For Further Reporting

Look out for ongoing coverage at thetimes.com as the by-election result nears and repercussions for Reform UK and national politics continue to unfold.

Transcript

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[Rosie Wright]

From the Times and the Sunday Times, this is the story. I'm Rosie Wright in Clacton. Welcome to Clacton on Sea. The the seaside town in Essex. In the middle of the summer holidays, families are relaxing on the beach. There's sort of distant screams from the roller coaster on the pier, shrieking from the seagulls and music blaring from Clacton's many, many arcades. I've also got the high street behind me with quite a few shuttered or tired looking shops. But despite the sleepy holiday atmosphere, the political temperature is quite a lot more febrile. I'm here just a few days ahead of the by election. Yes, another one which was called under rather unusual circumstances.

[Nigel Farage]

Today I will resign as a Member of Parliament for Clacton on Sea, thereby forcing a by election. This will be a people versus the establishment by election.

[Rosie Wright]

So with questions about his funding and that 5 million pound donation hanging over him, Nigel Farage, who repeatedly denies any wrongdoing and when asked says nobody cares. Nobody cares. Nobody cares. He resigned as an MP and called a by election to, in his words, let the people of Clacton be the deciders. The run up though, hasn't gone quite to plan.

[Nigel Farage]

Nigel Farage, please, what has happened to this 5 million pound gift? With all due respect, what's it got

[Local Voters]

to do with you?

[Josh Glancy]

Well, the Chancellor Rachel Reeves today wrote online, it is a farce and a desperate distraction and the people of Clacton deserve better. Adding he was clear to spend his summer arguing with a bin.

[Nigel Farage]

Labour in the lead. Is this down to Burnham? Is this just the Burnham factor at play?

[Rosie Wright]

A few months ago, it seemed as though Nigel Farage's party, Reform uk, had a lead in the polls that just couldn't be undermined. But a couple of things have happened over the last few weeks. Not only has the party's popularity started to fall, so too has that of the popularity of its leader. So I've been speaking to people across Clacton here who have got a record number of options when this by election comes. 34. To see whether this tricky summer for Nigel Farage has put them off the Reform leader or whether he is still the man for them come polling day. I'm actually going to vote for Nigel Farage. Are you voting for Reform as well?

[Local Voters]

Absolutely, yes.

[Rosie Wright]

Then he wants to talk sense.

[Local Voters]

I think he's abusing democracy by calling this election.

[Rosie Wright]

We'll also hear from the Sunday Times, Josh Gladcy, to see how much trouble Reform are really in.

[Josh Glancy]

Farage actually is seen as something of a liability as well as an asset. And I had people saying to me, well, I actually would quite like to vote Reform, but I don't trust Farage.

[Rosie Wright]

So the story today is, has Nigel Farage's by election backfired?

[Local Voters]

Please insert your coins.

[Rosie Wright]

So we're in August and the summer holidays are in full throes. Behind me is the Wetherspoons, the Moon and Starfish. That name might be familiar to you. It is outside of that pub that Nigel Farage was hit with a milkshake. This is, if you're not familiar with Clacton, Brexit territory, really. It's predominantly older, white. This is the place that had the first UKIP mp. So it is Reform uk Heartland, where two years ago I was here on election night, stood on Clacton P. Here, Nigel Farage stormed to victory. He took 46% of the vote in the general election, pinching the seat comprehensively off the Conservatives. But how different do things feel now? And speaking to residents, some are hardcore Nigel Farage, almost evangelists. They will support him come what may. Others are hugely frustrated. None of the major parties have fielded a candidate, so that leaves them with limited options, despite the fact this will be the longest ballot paper in election history. My name is Carol Thorpe. Carol, tell me how you're going to vote next week. I'm going down there to do it in person. I did vote for him last time, so I'm going to vote for him again this time. When you say him, who are you talking about? Nigel Farage, of course. Only one man for that job. We want him in the top seat. We know Nigel Farage received a 5 million pounds donation from a cryptocurrency billionaire that he didn't declare. How much of that worries you? Well, I think he is a very fair man, so I don't think he would try to diddle Clacton at all. I mean, he lives in Clacton himself, so it's obvious he is going to try and help the people of Clacton. Oh, do you want to talk to me about it? Yeah, why not?

[Nigel Farage]

Hello.

[Rosie Wright]

Did I ask you a couple of questions about the via election next week and how you might be voting, how you're feeling about it?

[Other Local Residents]

Wrong. Reform.

[Rosie Wright]

And so can you tell me why you're voting for reform?

[Other Local Residents]

Well, it's the only way we're going to go. Is it? Where else can we go? We got two lost governments and this is the only government here that's going to sort things out for us. So as far as I'm concerned, Nigel Farage is God.

[Rosie Wright]

Why do you believe that compared to, let's say, Andy Burnham, Kemi Badenoch?

[Local Voters]

Come on.

[Other Local Residents]

Andy Burnham.

[Rosie Wright]

What about Kemi Badenoch on the right?

[Other Local Residents]

No, no, no, no. She's all Mae from Traitors. She sounds good, but she's still a Tory and I would never, ever vote Tory again. Have you ever seen Nigel Farage when he goes around? You see how many women, how many people come up and cuddle him? Do you ever see that with Badenov or all the others? No, you don't. You know why? People don't believe in them. He is the only one I would vote for.

[Rosie Wright]

Thank you very much for the time. Thank you, John. Thank you for stopping to talk to me. The by election comes up in a week's time. Who are you voting for?

[Local Voters]

Reform.

[Rosie Wright]

Tell me why.

[Local Voters]

Well, try and stop all these immigrants.

[Josh Glancy]

Something's got to be done about it,

[Local Voters]

at the end of the day, is people in this country not getting nothing. They're coming over and getting everything, which is all wrong since Andy Burnham's been in. There's over 2,000 immigrants already come in alone since he's been in in the last two weeks.

[Rosie Wright]

And as a local mp, what would you say Nigel Farage has done for you and for the residents of Clacton?

[Josh Glancy]

Well, I shook his hand the other

[Local Voters]

week and I brought points up to him and they reckon they're going to be sorted out.

[Rosie Wright]

What did you ask him?

[Local Voters]

Well, certain things Which I won't disclose. Anyway.

[Rosie Wright]

You felt confident he was going to do what you want.

[Nigel Farage]

Yes.

[Josh Glancy]

Yes, exactly.

[Rosie Wright]

Chris, thank you for stopping to chat. I'm sure you will have noticed there's a fire election happening in a week's time. Tell us how you voted last time and how you'll then be voting this time.

[Nigel Farage]

Reform. And I'll be voting reform again. To be honest, I think they're all as bad as one another, but I think they've reform the only party that's got the country's back.

[Rosie Wright]

Should Nigel Farage say sorry for not declaring that £5 million?

[Nigel Farage]

The legality side of it, I don't know. Does it concern me? Not one bit. Not one bit.

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And if he.

[Nigel Farage]

If he is using it, he can use it for every night. But if he is using it, he clearly needs security. And certainly after Paul Anne Widdakeham being murdered in her own home, does he need the 5 million? I don't think so. He's a wealthy man anyway. But does it concern me? Not at all.

[Rosie Wright]

Chris, thank you very much. Thank you so much. What's this going to be on Times Radio? Walking down the high street that comes up from the beach, I am struck by the number of people who came over to me very keen to tell me about Nigel Farage, why they supported him, why they continue to support him, or personal one on one conversations that they've had with the Reform UK leader. Despite that sort of very strong core support, though, there are other people who are feeling pretty disgruntled, who don't feel as though any of those 34 candidates actually represent what Clacton needs that has a chance actually to be elected. They're feeling pretty fed up.

[Local Voters]

I think he's abusing democracy by calling this election. He ought not to have done it. If he's innocent, and I believe he is, he should have said to the people accusing him, put up or shut up, I'm innocent. I'm clear he should not have asked the people of Clacton to be judge and jury.

[Rosie Wright]

So you wouldn't vote for a protest candidate instead?

[Local Voters]

Oh, for God's sake. I've met four or five of them, sir. Inland of Cuckoo. I mean, it is silly.

[Rosie Wright]

Who did you vote for in 2024?

[Local Voters]

Oh, Farage. But I'm a little bit disappointed. I voted for him because I thought as a personality he could bring some industry and work to the district because the young people here really don't have a lot of choice of where to work. In fact, most of them don't and that's not right. But he hasn't. So that's my process over, not voting for him.

[Other Local Residents]

My name is Sally.

[Rosie Wright]

Goodbye. Election coming up a week today. What do you want as the outcome?

[Other Local Residents]

The truth about Farage. I'd like the outcome. I won't be voting for him because he's done nothing for us in the last two years. I'd rather have somebody that actually does something for the local area instead of flitting off to America or wherever he goes.

[Rosie Wright]

Did you vote for him two years ago?

[Other Local Residents]

No.

[Rosie Wright]

Who did you vote for then?

[Other Local Residents]

Green. I knew he would win, but I knew we wouldn't see him for dust, so.

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[Rosie Wright]

So are you going to vote at all next week?

[Other Local Residents]

No. No. Let's think a Bin or Farage. No. Neither are going to give anything to Clacton, so, no, I won't be voting.

[Rosie Wright]

What's your message then to the other parties, let's say the Green Party, who could have fielded a candidate and they've decided to step away, but they're not

[Other Local Residents]

going to field candidates because this is just a joke. This is a joke by election. There's nothing serious about it at all.

[Rosie Wright]

So Nigel Farage's main opponent is Count Bin Face, the comedian John Harvey. His attempt to provide the residents of Clacton with a protest vote. Well, how many people might vote for Count Ben Vase? One salvation poll last week put it at 20%. Some of the business owners here in Clacton who feel as though actually what they wanted, these independent business owners was an MP who was going to truly represent them in this area, rather than the nationwide issues of things like immigration or stopping the boats, which has caused Nigel Fourage to have popularity elsewhere in Clacton. Those business owners are left frustrated and puzzled and actually considering voting for a protest candidate.

[Nigel Farage]

My name is Philip Brooks and this is my barber shop and I've got a shop in Colchester, Chelmsford and Leon Sea as well.

[Rosie Wright]

We've got a by election in a week's time. How are you going to be voting?

[Nigel Farage]

I'll be voting for Bin Face. I think that the whole thing's turned into a circus and I've been following him for actually like about eight years now. And I quite enjoy seeing someone take elections that have sort of elements that are undemocratic and try to, in my opinion, I think is make somewhat of a mockery of democracy. And he then makes a mockery of that circumstance and I enjoy that a lot. I think he's actually way more intelligent than people let on do.

[Rosie Wright]

You think if he was elected, he'd actually do a good job of representing you as a resident of Clacton?

[Nigel Farage]

Well, of the six manifesto leaflets that I came into this morning, his was the only one that actually had any Clacton specific sort of like promises on there. So that's an interesting start, considering he's meant to be the joke candidate.

[Rosie Wright]

The polls do suggest. It's always very difficult to actually extrapolate, but they do suggest that Nigel Farage is going to win again. How will you feel about what the purpose of this by election was, if that's the case?

[Nigel Farage]

Well, I mean, as far as I understand, I've not seen any reasoning beyond his sort of attempt to avoid investigation for the time being. So it's another waste of money and time causes more instability in the local area, causes more sort of like a local cultural rift. I think it's. I mean, obviously my personal feelings about Nigel Farage are entirely negative. Anyone with any kind of reasonable political education, I think, is of the same opinion.

[Rosie Wright]

It's been an interesting day in Clacton. When I came here the day after the by election was called, there was this sort of real political fever in the air. There were loads of journalists here. People were very excited to come up and tell you exactly how they felt, what they wanted to happen, or sort of disbelief that they couldn't believe Nigel Farage would be running up against Count Bin Face and of course, now the 32 other candidates. I'd say the mood is a bit more jaded, which perhaps is to be expected. People are a little bit fed up. They also know there is the potential of another by election being called once the Parliamentary Standards Commission have finished their investigation. The interesting thing to look out for for this by election, though, will be two things. Turnout. How many people are prepared to come out and support Nigel Farage. And then that protest vote. How much of it will eat into Nigel Farage's at this point? 46% majority. Those two metrics might give us an idea of if those falls in the poles that Reform and Nigel Farage have seen over the last few weeks are being reflected in his base support too. While Nigel Farage is very likely to win in Clacton. What's the wider picture here? Andy Burnham's enjoying his bounce. Restore Britain's on the rise and there are mounting scandals for Reform uk. Are they beginning to eat into their poll lead, really? Is Nigel Farage's party in more trouble than they look? Back at the Times headquarters, I'll be speaking to the Sunday Times Associate Editor Josh Glancy after the break to find out.

[Other Local Residents]

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[Josh Glancy]

My name is Josh Glancy. I am associate editor at the Sunday Times.

[Rosie Wright]

You've been writing in some depth about reform over the last few months and we've just been hearing from voters in Clacton ahead of the by election that is a very, very almost evangelical core of people who support Nigel Farage. Regardless, I think of what's going on. Not everyone, but quite a lot of people. What has changed, do you think, in the last few weeks, maybe before the by election was called and then after it was in terms of reforms popularity across the nation?

[Josh Glancy]

Well, you know, polls are only a snapshot in time, but they are showing a clear decline in Reform's fortunes. Not a huge one, but a significant one. They're coming down depending on which poll you look at sort of three or four points from about 25, 26% to about 22, 23. So that's quite significant. Nigel Farage's personal popularity ratings really have come down quite a lot, both in terms of how many people dislike him, which has always been quite a lot of people, but also fewer people like him. The amount of people who are opposed to him is at minus 42 recently. So if you Take that in the round. There's clearly a decline in fortunes and popularity for reform. Where's that come from? A number of things really. I mean, reform really actually peaked in popularity at the end of last year in the autumn, where they were up at 29, 30% of likely voters. But they've been coming down steadily since then. But you've also had a series of scandals about Nigel Farage's funding and failure to declare various funding reporting in this paper, the Sunday Times and from the Guardian about people giving him money and him, him apparently not declaring it to Parliament. Well, that's obviously being investigated, but that's obviously had an effect on Farage. But you've also had a resurgence in Kemi Badenoch's popularity. You've had the arrival of Andy Burnham, who is also popular, particularly in the

[Rosie Wright]

north and riding what we're calling this sort of burn and bounce as well.

[Josh Glancy]

Yes. So you've got the burn and bounce. You do have a bit of a Badenoch bounce as well. And you also have the rise of restore, this sort of hard right splinter party run by Rupert Lowe, which is in effect a reform protest party, and in the recent Manchester mayoral election received about 9% of the vote. So not insignificant. And that is starting to worry people in Reform because if they've got someone chipping away at 5, 10% of their vote on the right, then that really affects how many seats they can realistically win across the country.

[Rosie Wright]

Yeah, Reform worthy insurgent party. And now it's like there's another one that they've got to compete in. We'll come back to Restoring in a moment or two. It's important to say Nigel Farage repeatedly denies wrongdoing over his financial dealings. He says the Harborne and the gifts he got from George Koch were purely personal. And that 5 million pound donation he got from Christopher Harborne, he says he didn't need to disclose the pre election support because it predated his decision to run for Parliament. And some of the Sunday Times reporting does have raised questions, question marks about exactly the timeline of all of that. But Josh, when you speak to Nigel Farage, when he does interviews and you ask him about, let's say, just take the 5 million pound donation, he says, nobody cares, nobody cares, nobody cares. Do you think that's right?

[Josh Glancy]

Yes and no. I think, you know, you were in Clacton, I think you could easily find people who not only don't care and think it's some sort of establishment stitch up or mainstream media campaign to get Nigel Farage but actually, it makes them like him more. They're happy to believe that things are either fabricated or exaggerated or ultimately not that important anyway, because the fate of the country's on the line. Line. And so, in a funny way, it can help him rile up his base. But I think the more serious problem that it does pose to him is that there are lots of voters in what I would call middle Britain, and lots of places in constituencies like where I was a couple of weeks ago, Fareham and Waterlooville, Southern, just north of Portsmouth. Traditionally Tory, but would be quite a target seat for reform were they to try and be a major party of government. And people there are quite turned off by it. Farage actually is seen as something of a liability as well as an asset. And I had people saying to me, well, I actually would quite like to vote reform, but I don't trust Farage. They have heard the headline numbers that he was given £5 million. And it just adds to a broader sentiment that, oh, well, there's something a bit off about Nigel Farage. They don't quite trust him. And I think in that sense, you know, if we were here last year, Rosie, we would have been talking about, well, is Nigel Farage going to be the next Prime Minister? And, you know, is reform going to destroy the Conservative Party and could it get up to 40% of the vote? Well, at the moment. And it's only at the moment that we're talking, that is not the conversation.

[Rosie Wright]

I also wonder if what's happened is some of the other parties have had their policies dragged a little bit further to the right because of reform, and therefore someone who might have voted reform is now thinking, okay, actually, the Conservatives or maybe even some of Labour's policies fit what I want to see politicians doing. On Monday, for example, the Times was talking about British attitudes to immigration really hardening over the last 10 years, and maybe the political parties outside of reform have gone that way as well.

[Josh Glancy]

I think that's a really astute point. I think that in some ways, we're all living in the world that Nigel Farage has created, not just because of Brexit, which he was obviously a prime mover in, among others, but also, yeah, the debate on immigration has shifted considerably to the right. That's not just because of Farage. That's also because we've had a lot more immigration. But it's certainly the case that people saw his success last year and they reacted, you know, and part of Kemi Badenoch's strategy as Tory leader has been to hug Reform quite close. So similarly, would Shabana Mahmood still be Home Secretary of the Government and still be have the support of the Labour Party were it not for the realization that actually there needs to be a toughness on immigration? You know, that's not making everyone in Labour happy, but they're keeping her there.

[Rosie Wright]

The other change in the last year or so has been the emergence of RESTORE that you mentioned earlier. Rupert Lowe's party, who used to be friends with Nigel Farage, used to be a Reform UK mp. Tell us about the origin of that party and how much their success at this point is actually biting into Reform UK support.

[Josh Glancy]

Well, Nigel Farage's career in politics is littered with people he's fallen out with. So in some ways, Rupert Lowe is the latest iteration of that was a Reform mp fell out with Faraj because generally Farage likes to run the show. Low has founded restore, and in a sense, it's the revolution eating its own because it's even more online, even more angry, even more doomerist than reform.

[Rosie Wright]

The last week, there was maybe a slight softening of relations between Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe that then got complicated. If they did come together, how powerful an election force would they be?

[Josh Glancy]

Well, it's worth recalling some of the things that Rupert Lowe has actually said about Nigel Farage publicly. You know, he's called him a liar. He said he must never be Prime Minister. He accused him of launching a malicious witch hunt and putting a knife in his back. So any political relationship between those two is likely to be fraught and fragile, I would say. And we're seeing, you know, this quite extraordinary public footsie that they're doing.

[Nigel Farage]

That is why today I'm reaching out to put personalities and our past disagreements aside for the good of the country. We all so want to succeed. I believe we can, should and must find a way of working together in some form to make it a reality.

[Josh Glancy]

I don't know. I mean, it's hard to imagine that it would be a stable relationship. But I also think that, again, it comes back to that problem that it gives reform in Middle England. If you've got a deal with Rupert Lowe, well, that's golden for Cami Badenock. She can go around the country saying, vote Farage, get Restore. And for most people in Britain, not everyone, but for most people in Broughton, that's a pretty unpalatable proposition.

[Rosie Wright]

This time last summer, in August, Nigel Farage really capitalized on politics being a little bit quieter. He was constantly doing these press conferences, and we're seeing the Same this summer. Nigel Farage doesn't want us talking about restore. He doesn't want us talking about his personal finances, his party's finances, his colleagues finances. He wants us to talk about policy. And we've had, even in just the last ten days or so, three fairly strident policy ideas from Reform uk.

[Josh Glancy]

Yeah, look, I mean, Farah had a lot of success last summer with regular press conferences. It was felt that labor slightly ceded that territory to him and he was able to run the agenda and immigration became top of people's concerns and top of the news agenda. It's a much more mixed picture again this year, partly because it's difficult for him to really take the lead in the media because he's still being regularly asked about all these funding issues and he can't quite shake all that off. It's also, again, it's. Other parties have caught up somewhat. You know, Kemi Banach is much more adept at social media performance, at grabbing the attention and grabbing the narrative herself. And now Labour's on the pitch too. So it's difficult for Farage to get on the front foot in quite the way he did last summer. Although you're very right to point out that he's producing some fairly outlandish policy ideas. The latest today was to to send criminals to El Salvador, which is straight out Donald Trump's playbook, something that Trump has actually done. But I suppose in a way, the point is to get people talking about the issue of crime and incarceration and not talking about some of the other things that Farage wants to avoid.

[Rosie Wright]

Yeah, it's all foreign criminals. He said they just immediately send them to El Salvador. Last week it was, I'll get the Royal Navy to intercept the boats. And then France said, there's no way that's going to happen. That breaches international law. So sometimes, Josh, doesn't seem to matter if things don't quite add up.

[Josh Glancy]

Well, I think underpinning all this is reform's plan for success, really, is that it comes from this fundamental diagnosis that Britain is broken and that the elite classes, the governing classes, have no idea how to fix it. And so eventually enough people will give up with the system and just roll the dice and say, do you know what? This isn't working. Let's go with reform. And so these quite outlandish ideas, in a sense, you know, they're probably not likely to happen, but they are indicators of a party that is willing to think outside the box, be extreme, be radical and do the things that it thinks are necessary to fix what is a fundamentally broken country.

[Rosie Wright]

And things feel quite rosy for the Labour Party right now. Andy Burnham's going on his cost of living listening tour across the uk. Things may shift when it gets to the end of October and we get that budget. And you know, the Chancellors told the Times they can't rule out tax rises in some form. So, you know, how long will the honeymoon period last? In essence though, Josh, we're going to have this by election. Nigel Farage is pretty likely to win. Unless something, you know, completely. Yeah. Nigel Farage wins, let's say. What's he achieved?

[Josh Glancy]

Well, not nothing, I don't think, because the point about this by election, or one of the points about this by election is that Farage was undergoing investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner. Right. That Ingrid investigation is now suspended post by election. It may well be resumed. We don't know for certain if it is. It may well find fault in the way he declared various or did not declare various aspects of his funding. And that then goes to a Parliamentary Standards Committee and they can suspend him from Parliament, which would then trigger another by election. I'd say that's quite a likely outcome, to be honest. He can then say in that next by election. Well, look, I mean, this is ridiculous. I've been to the people of Clacton. They knew all this stuff was out there in the media, you know, and they. And they've given you an answer and this is undemocratic and it's an outrage and it's a waste of taxpayers money and you know, fine, if the Tories and Labour want to send proper candidates this time, the people of Clacton will tell them again they want Nigel. But people that were sort of wavering about you, I don't know, some might think, well, actually, he's got a point. Where are they persecuting him a bit. But many others will think this is ludicrous. I mean, this man resigned and triggered a pointless by election. Now we're having another one. Why all this histrionics? Who'd want this guy to be Prime Minister? I think it does give him a good talking point, but it does also create a lot more melodrama.

[Rosie Wright]

Josh, we are obligated by ofcom. We must tell you every single person who is standing in the clacton by election. And we thought we'd let the team behind the scenes at the story read it out to you.

[Josh Glancy]

Joseph77, independent adham alkatip, the forward party.

[Rosie Wright]

Count bin face. Count bin face party.

[Josh Glancy]

Nick, the incredible flying brick the official monster raving loony party tony kane, independent

[Rosie Wright]

woke trump carsey independent william stewart james clouston social democratic party reece kown, independent

[Josh Glancy]

glenn charles cummings independent martin davies freedom

[Rosie Wright]

alliance real people, real alternative andy earlham

[Josh Glancy]

independent nigel farage reform uk atti fard

[Rosie Wright]

independent lawrence fox the reclaimed party tawny francis independent robin green independent abbie hookway independent howling lord hope the official monster raving loony party stephen richard ingram independent amy morris independent derek norbert morris, independent michael noel o' keefe independent martin o'

[Josh Glancy]

brien independent nick pellas independent ketan kumar

[Rosie Wright]

pipalaya uk voice safe and stronger uk daniel pocock independent james ransley consensus party candidate jerry smith independent kai stevens, british democrats john stevens rejoin eu baron von thunderclap the official monster raving loony party

[Josh Glancy]

pamela walford, independent marcus white everyone is

[Podcast Advertiser]

God party mark wilkinson, independent.

[Rosie Wright]

That's all today. Thank you so much for listening. Do look out for our reporting on this by election coming all week [e-mail] if you want to get in touch about this episode or any other, please email us. We're at the story the times.com the producer today was Harry Stott, the executive producer was Edward Drummond. Sound design was by Dave Creasy and the theme composition was by Maliceto. We'll be back tomorrow.

[Nigel Farage]

On Times Radio. You'll hear intelligent discussion and expert analysis on the big stories of the day and from the politicians making the political weather.

[Josh Glancy]

Anybody who looks at this triple lock long term, it's unaffordable.

[Nigel Farage]

We're the voice of the Times in uncertain times.

[Josh Glancy]

I don't think there's a farmer alive who's labor anymore.

[Nigel Farage]

Listen to Times Radio on DAB Smartspeaker online or now available in the Times Live app.

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