LONDON — British anti-immigrant politician Nigel Farage will stand against a “record” 33 fringe opponents including longstanding joke candidate Count Binface in a snap by-election next month in eastern England he has triggered, local officials confirmed Friday.

Tendring District Council, which will manage the contest in Clacton — a seaside town and constituency which Farage has represented in parliament since 2024 — announced he and 33 candidates will be on the ballot after nominations closed Friday.

The council said that the total of 34 candidates “is believed to be a record for a parliamentary election.”

Britain’s mainstream parties have opted to boycott the poll after Farage contentiously said he would quit as an MP earlier this month and then re-stand, in a bid to stymie a growing furore around his finances.

The leader of the Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year, has been dogged for weeks by mounting pressure over the non-disclosure of gifts, including allegedly from a convicted fraudster.

The boycott by other parties means his most high-profile rival in the August 13 snap vote is Binface —........

© The Times of Israel