Nigel Farage won the Clacton-on-Sea by-election and while his main opposition was a bin, not everyone thinks the whole circus of the Reform leader’s making was a complete joke.
Winning with more votes than in the last general election, and with a lower voter turnout, the Reform voters of Clacton-on-Sea have spoken - and they have said they don’t care about Farage’s £5m gift from a cryptocurrency billionaire.
This is what worried Miles Bennington, the editor of the Beacon, who said it felt like a body blow due to his hope the British public would draw a line on what Farage could get away with.
Well, it turned out that those in Clacton did not care as much as some people hoped they would.
Is this a signifier for the rest of the country? What could Farage’s win in the by-election mean in the future? Does this set a dangerous precedent for any hopeful populist politicians in the future?
Arguably yes, but some would argue that Clacton was always going to be a walk in the park for Farage.
Should much be made of the fact Farage beat a bin in a Reform stronghold, or does it really signpost the start of a timetable that will see Reform put together a UK Government.
We discussed all of these topics on the latest episode of The Beacon Podcast.
