Nigel Farage latest: Millionaire Labour donor offers to bankroll Count Binface’s Clacton by-election bid – UK Times

The Labour Party, the Tories, Liberal Democrats, Greens and Restore Britain have all said they will not stand candidates in the by-election, leaving independent candidates and Count Binface to contest it.

As the main political parties refuse to take part in the Clacton by-election, only one candidate has stepped forward to challenge Farage – and he’s dressed as an alien and dons a tin bin. Katie Rosseinsky takes a look at the man behind the mask:

The Tories have accused the government of “cherry-picking” policies it will implement to tackle foreign interference in British politics.

New rules will impose a £100,000 limit on donations from overseas, backdated to March 25, and this will also apply for the first year of someone living in the UK.

There is also a moratorium on donations via cryptocurrency, with the aim to safeguard democracy against untraceable foreign funds.

Both the cap and the moratorium were recommended by Sir Philip Rycroft’s independent review into countering foreign financial influence and interference in UK politics.

However, shadow communities minister Baroness O’Neill of Bexley accused the government of “cherry-picking” these two recommendations from the report.

The government has now accepted all the recommendations from the report, but has not yet outlined how it intends to implement each one.

As Nigel Farage accuses his opponents of ‘running away’ from an election, and the main parties say his attempt to distract from scrutiny of his finances has descended into farce, chief political commentator John Rentoul is here to answer your questions on a contest that’s dividing Westminster:

A key ally of Andy Burnham has accused Keir Starmer’s government of “sexist” briefings against a swathe of senior female Labour MPs.

Louise Haigh, who has been central to the PM-in-waiting’s march to No 10, hit out at attacks from a “cabal of men” against Sir Keir’s former deputy Angela Rayner, as well as cabinet ministers Bridget Phillipson and Lisa Nandy.

She told the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast: “The idea that there wasn’t a cabal of men that were deliberately mistreating women around the government is just fanciful.”

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

Piers Corbyn has said he is standing in the Clacton by-election.

Nigel Farage will now have to worry about another candidate to face, alongside Count Binface and Lawrence Fox.

Rupert Lowe has sparked outrage after incorrectly claiming there was just “one murder” during the Dunblane massacre.

The Restore Britain leader told Joe Rogan, the world’s most popular podcaster, that handguns in the UK were banned “because there was a murder up in Dunblane”.

Mr Rogan asks the Great Yarmouth MP: “One murder?,” before Mr Lower replies: “One murder.”

Sixteen children aged five and six and their teacher were killed by Thomas Hamilton at Dunblane Primary School on March 13, 1996.

Another 15 children and three adults were injured before Hamilton killed himself.

The tragedy remains the deadliest mass shooting in British history and led to major reform of the UK’s gun laws.

Mr Lowe’s comments prompted backlash, with Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr describing them as “shocking”.

He said: “One murder? Sixteen kids and their teacher were murdered. Fifteen other primary school children were wounded.

“My children’s school, about 15 minutes from Dunblane, was locked down that day. They’ll never forget being kept in the gym hall until everyone learned the gunman was dead.

“They’ll never forget the teachers trying to hold themselves together while reassuring frightened children.

“To reduce that atrocity to ‘one murder’ is deeply insulting. It wasn’t a single murder. It was a mass murder. In a primary school.

“Almost as disturbing was the tone – one of disbelief, even mockery, that anyone could respond by tightening gun laws.

“This wasn’t some obscure historical event. It happened in 1996, when Lowe was 38 years old.

“He should have known what happened on that terrifying day in Dunblane.

“For anyone who remembers that day, hearing it dismissed so casually is genuinely shocking.”

Dale Vince has offered to fund Count Binface’s campaign leading up to the Clacton by-election, where he stands alone as Nigel Farage’s sole opponent.

The green energy industrialist has been one of Labour’s most generous donors, and has now contacted Count Binface to financially support him.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Vince said: “I want Binface to win, and I am prepared to support him – morally, verbally and financially if that works for him.”

The renewable energy tycoon is able to donate upto £180,050 to Count Binface, whose real name is Jon Harvey, to spend on campaigning materials.

I haven’t stopped laughing since it became obvious that the Reform UK leader will spend the summer arguing with a fake alien with a bin on his head, because now everything he does from here on in is a joke, says Carol Vorderman:

I haven’t stopped laughing since.

Almost straight away, I had the papers ringing me asking if I’m going to stand, since Nasty Nigel dared me to run against him in Clacton after an interview I gave a few months ago in which I called him a liar and a grifter. But like Labour, the Conservatives, Lib Dems, Green Party, and even Restore Britain, I won’t be running, since the whole thing is a stunt and sham.

So he’s going up against Count Binface. I think it’s totally brilliant.

The Clacton by-election could take place on 13 August after Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson formally moved the writ on Friday morning.

The party had said it would propose August 6 as the date but Tendring District Council, which will administer the election and decide the timetable, has not yet published the notice of election.

By-elections take place between 21 and 27 working days to allow the poll to be held on a Thursday, whenever the writ is moved.

Polling day must be no earlier than 17 working days after nominations close, and no later than the 19th day, suggesting that August 13 is the most likely date.