Photo: Twitter/X
Surely there’s a better way to rally your support base than suggesting that you’ve been doing all the heavy lifting? Nigel Farage has aimed a strange directive to Reform activists, asking them to turn out in Clacton ahead of the upcoming by-election vote on Thursday 13 August.
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There’s a lot to unpick from around 30 seconds of footage. Nigel Farage can be seen joining Matt Goodwin – Reform’s failed candidate for the Gorton and Denton by-election earlier this year – in a non-descript field to take part in an impromptu interview on Facebook Live.
The Reform leader was quizzed on a number of topics, including his recent spat with Zack Polanski, and his opinions on Andy Burnham. However, when asked to deliver a message to Reform supporters and canvassing members, his pitch might not have been the most convincing.
He candidly stated that he wanted party members to ‘come and help him for once’, and said that he has ‘never asked them for anything before’. The clear implication that his voters now owe him a favour is certainly… something. Especially when his main opponent in the by-election is Count Binface.
“I know Clacton is hard to get to. But for once, I’m asking you to come and help me. We need more people here to build an impressive level of data, and on the day, we’ll need an army of people to turn out the vote. I never ask you for anything, but this time I am. Come to Clacton and help out.”| Nigel Farage
Mr. Farage also hinted at a data-collection exercise, which also seemed off to several observers. Lucy Trimnell, a Conservative Party councillor for Wincanton & Bruton, summarised his attitude in the clip as ‘only doing what’s best for Nigel’. A point that seems rather difficult to dispute.
“He just wants data to help him in the real by-election which is a very likely possibility following the findings from the investigation into his finances. Nothing at the top of Reform stems from what’s best for communities and people, they’re just data. It’s all about what’s best for Nigel.” | Lucy Trimnell
Not a great deal of voting data has emerged from Clacton since Nigel Farage triggered the by-election. His resignation from Parliament, followed immediately by the announcement that he would contest the seat he had just vacated, prompted all major parties to withdraw their candidates from the race.
However, data taken on a national scale shows the 61-year-old being seen as LESS popular than the man with a bin on his head. Count Binface has a 12-point lead over Nigel Farage with the general public, with only Reform and Tory voters seeing the arch Brexiteer as the better candidate.
However, in the microcosm of Clacton, Nigel Farage remains the odds-on favourite to win the seat again. Even if his star is on the wane elsewhere, the Reform leader still retains high levels of support in the region. But, as we all know, anything can happen on election day.
