Nigel Farage has, in the words of one constituent in Clacton, “gone full conspiracy theory” in explaining to voters there why he has called his surprise by-election.
A look at the local Facebook pages and other forums shows that the contest against Count Binface – and more than 30 other candidates – with all the other main parties boycotting “a fake by-election” is not giving Mr Farage the full support and acclaim he may have hoped for in the Essex town and villages he hopes to represent again.
In his letter explaining why he has called a by-election, Mr Farage has clearly decided not to hold back in his claims that he and his friends are victims of a grand conspiracy involving Labour, the establishment and the media.
In what one constituent described as “a self-pitying diatribe”, he wrote: “Since I was elected, the Labour government, their friends in the media and the establishment in this country have done everything they can to destroy me, my family, the party, our donors and the millions of people like you who support us.”
He went on: “They have vilified us. They have sought to intimidate us. They have made life harder for those around us.”
He claimed the media/establishment conspiracy has “made it increasingly difficult to provide the security my family needs while at the same time publishing stories that make security even more necessary”.
In an oblique reference to his row with Sky News over doorstepping him, he alleged his home and family “have been targeted” and declared: “I have had enough!”
But the Reform UK leader did not stop there and instead waded into the weeds of a much deeper conspiracy.
“To make things worse the establishment is now seeking to rewrite the rules of politics itself.”
He alleged that votes for 16-year-olds, and attempts to postpone council elections in Essex because of a local government reorganisation and change donation rules banning foreign donations and cryptocurrency are all designed to “stop Reform”.
There is no mention of the Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne or the £5m donation he gave the Reform UK leader which went undeclared with the parliamentary authorities and Electoral Commission and is now subject to an investigation.
It also failed to mention the convicted criminal George Cottrell, who was an ever-present in Clacton during the general election and part of Mr Farage’s inner circle for more than a decade.
Although the reference to “friends” may have meant “Posh George”, as Mr Cottrell is known.
But Mr Farage claimed: “Week after week politicians and the media have worked together to plant negative stories with the intention of suspending me as your MP. Their aim is to force a by-election so the people of Clacton will vote against me.”
This is why he claims he has asked for an early by-election, while not mentioning that they may have another contest soon if he is suspended.
But he concluded: “This is a contest between the people of Clacton and the entire political establishment.”
Mr Farage has found plenty of support for his narrative, from Frinton, the very well-to-do north of the constituency, to Jaywick, the much more socially deprived south designated one of the poorest areas in the UK. But there is also a lot of pushback.
Constituents have been commenting online about it but not always in the way Mr Farage may have hoped for.
In one local Facebook group, a voter fact checked the letter using AI.
They said: “Several of the claims are either false or rhetorical dressed up as fact.”
On donations and the delay of the Essex election they noted: “There is no evidence [they were] specifically targeting Reform.”
On Mr Farage suggesting the establishment “cannot beat us fairly at the ballot box”, they noted: “This is opinion not fact and it’s aging badly. Recent Ipsos polling shows Reform’s lead over Labour narrowing sharply.”
They also note that Mr Farage falsely claimed the investigation into him is being run by “the Labour government” when “the actual investigation is being run by the Independent Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.”
They also noted that the reference to 350 poll leads by Mr Farage is “being used to imply invincibility at exactly the moment his actual polling lead is shrinking.”
Another constituent got more than 3,000 likes for a suggestion: “MP stands for missing person. Farage is throwing a ball for dogs and we are the dog.”
There is also some disquiet over concerns Mr Farage is attempting to weaponise Ann Widdecombe’s murder.
“He even used putting a wreath for Ann murder to get on TV, was caught waiting for the cameraman to roll,” said one constituent.
