Ian Davidson, acting returning officer for the by-election, says he is confident the count can be completed safely following Reform UK's claims that police have advised Nigel Farage to not attend.

In a statement, Davidson says by-election staff have "worked closely with Essex Police colleagues to ensure the election process is completed safely and securely".

"This includes a robust policing operation throughout the day and including at the count," he says.

"It is a candidate’s decision whether or not to attend the count. However I want to reassure people we have no reason not to proceed with the count process at this time."

Speaking further to BBC News, Davidson says he is hoping the by-election result will be declared "around" 06:00 BST.

Image source, PA Media

Nigel Farage is correct not to attend the Clacton by-election declaration, says Reform UK spokesperson and local councillor Jaymey McIvor.

"He doesn't want to be demeaned or humiliated, and I make him right in that," he tells BBC News.

"To demean or humiliate the winning candidate in any election, demean and humiliate all of those people that have taken part in the process... I think it's obviously the right decision," he says.

Asked if he was aware of this decision beforehand, McIvor says that "as a local councillor" he is not told the party leader's movements "all the time".

"I very much hope in a few hours he'll be sent back the House of Commons to continue to serve without what could have been a very pathetic attempt by some absolute nobodies to try and degrade what is a very important democratic process."

Harry Farley
Reporting from Clacton

Nigel Farage spoke about an "organised campaign to disrupt and degrade" the result.

He said he didn’t want to be humiliated when explaining why he wouldn’t attend the count.

But a Reform UK spokesperson has just told me it was more than humiliation. The party official says there was a "credible threat against him" at the count.

We are trying to speak to Essex Police to understand the nature of that.

A spokesman for Reform UK says: "Essex Police advised Nigel not to attend the count tonight due to a credible threat against him."

Nigel Farage has said he won't be attending tonight's declaration, as votes are still being counted in Clacton

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA

Nigel Farage will not attend the Clacton by-election count, he tells supporters a Reform UK event.

"I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory.... and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies," he says.

"I will not, sadly, be attending the count," he adds.

He says Essex Police has told him about an "organised campaign to disrupt and degrade the result".

We are contacting Essex Police for more details.

Farage continues addressing supporters at the Reform event, saying there may not be a result in Clacton until "6 or 7" in the morning.

"I really feel that we've not been forgiven for May 7th," he says, referring to local elections in England, and for parliaments in Wales and Scotland.

"They decided if they couldn't beat us by fair means, they'd try to beat us by foul means."

He says the voters of Clacton have "stuck two fingers up to the entire political establishment", and thanks "my beloved people's army".

Image source, Reform UK

Farage says he called this by-election because he wanted the people of Clacton to "be my judge".

Speaking to supporters at a party, away from the by-election count, he says: "I called this by-election because I wanted the people of Clacton, the voters of this constituency to be my judge, not the mainstream media in Britain."

"The verdict has now come in," he says, adding "it is a convincing, overwhelming win", and he has won "far more votes" than in the 2024 general election.

• Votes are still being counted in the by-election and the result is expected in the coming hours

Henry Godfrey-Evans
Reporting from Clacton

Former Reform UK parliamentary candidate Pamela Walford says she's standing an an independent in Clacton as she previously "wasn't able to say what I wanted".

Walford received more than 12,000 votes (25%) standing as a Reform candidate in Maldon at the 2024 general election.

Referring to the various candidates standing in the by-election, Walford says she doesn't want to see "Clacton and surrounding areas to be the laughing stock of the world".

"All these different characters sometimes I think, is it Clacton or is it Disneyland?"

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

As we slowly edge closer to a winner being declared in the Clacton by-election, here's a reminder of the previous Clacton result at the 2024 general election:

Reform, Nigel Farage - 21,225 votes (46.2%)

Conservative, Giles Watling - 12,820 votes (27.9%)

Labour, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul - 7,448 (16.2%)

Liberal Democrat, Matthew Bensilum - 2,016 (4.4%)

Green, Natasha Osben -1,935 (4.2%)

Harry Farley
Reporting from Clacton

The turnout has been confirmed at 44.37%.

That is higher than some recent by-elections, such as in Aberdeen South (38.0%) and Arbroath & Broughty Ferry (31.3%) and only slightly lower than the closely fought by-elections in Runcorn & Helsby (46.2%) and Gorton & Denton (47.5%).

Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its prominence, it is lower than in Makerfield where Andy Burnham made his return to Parliament. There the turnout was 52.5%.

Image source, Reuters

Jack Grey
Live reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Count Binface's political journey began in 2017, before he had even donned the bin.

As "Lord Buckethead" - a character inspired by a Star Wars parody film - Jonathan Harvey contested the seat of then-prime minister Theresa May in Maidenhead at the 2017 general election - where he won 279 votes.

In 2019 he returned as Count Binface, with the new name and costume prompted by - in his own words - an "unpleasant battle on the planet copyright".

Since then:

• In 2019 he went up against Boris Johnson in Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the general election, winning 69 votes
• In 2021, Binface turned his attention away from Westminster, but not too far, running for London mayor and coming ninth in the first round with 24,775 votes
• In 2023, he returned to Uxbridge and South Ruislip, contesting the by-election triggered by Boris Johnson's resignation - this time taking home 190 votes
• In 2024 he had another crack at becoming London mayor, coming 11th with 24,260 votes
• It was a busy year for Binface, as later in 2024 he also faced his third sitting PM in the form of Rishi Sunak at in Richmond & Northallerton, winning 308 votes
• And most recently, earlier this year he competed against then-Greater Manchester mayor and now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham in Makerfield, where he took home 95 votes

Harry Farley
Reporting from Clacton

Nigel Farage is at a party dubbed "Farage Fest" for his supporters in the Essex countryside. And his team are sounding more and more confident about their margin of victory.

A Reform UK source tells the BBC: "If Nigel Farage wins by more votes tonight than he did in 2024 then his decision to call this by-election against the establishment will be vindicated."

In 2024 Farage won 21,225 votes. It sounds like Farage is confident that even though there’s a smaller total number of votes cast this time (in total), he’ll have won more than two years ago.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA Media

Count Binface says he takes being described as an "establishment candidate" by Nigel Farage as "in a way a compliment" following his 0.2% vote share in the Makerfield by-election earlier this year.

Speaking to BBC News, he says he would argue that "one of the chief architects of Brexit and one of the dominant figures in British politics over the last 20 years" is more of an establishment figure than "a lone wolf space warrior".

Asked what a good result would be tonight, he says: "One vote is special, 309 would be a Binface record, 5% I get my deposit back."

He adds that "after that it's up to you to crunch the numbers and work out what percentage of humans would rather elect an alien... than Nigel Farage".

Henry Godfrey-Evans
Reporting from Clacton

Candidate Glenn Cummings says he is just "starting out" on his political journey and would be satisfied with a single vote tonight.

"It would be embarrassing if someone said 'Glenn Charles Cummings zero votes', so as long as there's one that will do me just nicely," he tells me.

There has not been a parliamentary candidate who received zero votes in recent history.

"Maybe I do need that record actually because then it would be a first wouldn't it?" Cummings adds.

"Then I can build on it for next time. It would be a benchmark for next time."

Explaining his outfit, he says it describes his personality as a jogger and a raver.

Simon Dedman
Reporting from Clacton

Has there been an election campaign? The short answer is yes, even though the Nigel Farage hasn’t faced his main political party opponents.

Supporters of Nigel Farage and Reform members have flooded into the Clacton constituency to help. They have been going door-to-door to drum up support.

Reform’s turquoise logo is predominantly the only banner you see on wooden sticks outside houses. Some have Farage’s face haloed by the ferris wheel of Clacton pier on them.

Image source, EPA

Sprinkled through the constituency are some banners for other candidates. There was a large Count Binface display outside a property in Kirby Cross and a few Obama-style election posters of Binface with the word Hope underneath in some of the urban areas.

There was a hustings in which 14 of the 34 candidates standing took part, and there have been public meetings with some of the candidates addressing Clacton town centre with loud hailers.

We've also seen mailshots and leafleting.

But like Farage, for the candidate seen as his main challenger - Count Binface - it has been a social media battle.

With glossy, well-produced campaign videos and stunts like lighting up local landmarks with key policies such as 99 flake ice creams costing no more than 99p.

Image source, EPA

Asked about the parliamentary inquiry into the £5 million gift he received - which was suspended when he called the by-election - Farage asks GB News: "Who cares?"

"Who cares, the voters of Clacton don’t care," he says.

He adds that Count Binface, expected to be his closet rival in the vote, is "backed by the three biggest parties in Britain historically", claiming that Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative canvassers have been campaigning for him.

"They will not call a second by-election here, they’d be stupid to do so," he adds.

"This is an overwhelming endorsement of me, I have had enough of being judged by mainstream media, being called a criminal."

Asked if he will attend the count later this evening, he says "you’ll have to wait and see".

• Another by-election in Clacton is possible if Farage is eventually sanctioned by parliamentary authorities

Nigel Farage tells GB News that he has won the Clacton by-election “fairly convincingly”.

Speaking at a party put on for Reform UK volunteers in Clacton, Farage says: “I have managed to beat the establishment candidate.”

• As a reminder, votes are still being counted and a final result is expected in the coming hours.

Harry Farley
Reporting from Clacton

The turnout in this by-election - the proportion of eligible voters who cast their ballot - is higher than some had expected.

The initial estimate is around 43%. We’ll get the confirmed figure later.

But if that’s roughly right, it would only be slightly lower than the Runcorn & Helsby by-election (46.2%) which Reform UK won by six votes and the Gorton & Denton vote (47.5%) which the Green’s won.

It's also higher than the recent Aberdeen South by-election (38%) which the Conservatives won.

All of those campaigns were much more fiercely fought than this one.

Reform UK believe the turnout confirms their argument.

Image source, Reuters

"The fact that more people voted today than the local elections shows how the people of Clacton were motivated by the prospect of endorsing Nigel and how the Westminster establishment judged this by election completely wrong,” a Reform source tells me.

They believe Nigel Farage could win more votes tonight than he did in the general election, with fewer overall people voting. The obvious counter is this time he isn’t facing a challenge from any of the main political parties.

But we’re already seeing the shape of the arguments we’ll hear from Reform in the days to come.

Image source, Getty Images

The Conservatives, Labour, and other Westminster parties have declined to put a candidate forward in this election.

Here's what they have had to say about the contest:

• Former Prime Minister Keir Starmer described it as a "desperate stunt", while Andy Burnham's spokesperson called the Reform leader's resignation a "gimmick designed to distract from serious allegations about Farage's funders"
• Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Farage was "cracking under the pressure" because "he is finally having to face some scrutiny"
• Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey called for all parties to "stand aside and refuse to give oxygen to Farage's vanity project"
• Green Party leader Zack Polanski called the Reform UK leader "a grifter", arguing Farage "knew he was heading towards a by-election anyway so has pulled the trigger early"
• Former Reform MP - now Restore leader - Rupert Lowe, said Farage is "making a mockery of our entire democratic process"

Nigel Farage’s decision to stand down as an MP and trigger a by-election in Clacton came as he was facing increasing scrutiny over his finances and a parliamentary investigation.

In early 2024, he received a £5m gift from billionaire cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne.

Farage has argued he did not need to declare the gift because he received it before he was elected as Clacton's MP in the summer of 2024.

Image source, Reuters

But Labour and other rival parties believe Farage has questions to answer over it.

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner announced an investigation into whether he broke the Commons code of conduct, which states that new MPs "must register all their current financial interest, and any registrable benefits (other than earnings) received in the 12 months before their election within one month of their election".

The rules say "purely personal gifts or benefits" from family or commercial loans would not normally have to be registered, but "if there is any doubt [about the motive of the giver or the gift's use] the benefit should be registered".

The process was suspended when he stood down and forced the by-election.

Speaking to the BBC in June, Farage said the £5m was "unconditional gift, I can spend it on cars if I want to", and went on to say the money was for his personal security.