Ask John Rentoul anything: What is really going on with Farage’s Clacton by-election?
Welcome to a privileged event Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoulchief political commentator Independent.
Scroll down to see my questions and answers. Don’t forget to hit the “load more” button to read the full Q&A.
Nigel Farage has triggered a by-election in Clacton and with it comes a lot of confusion about what he is actually trying to achieve.
The Reform UK leader insists the contest is “real” despite his only declared opponent being a man in a bin costume.
The by-election was held on Tuesday, just as scrutiny over Mr Farage’s finances was intensifying, amid reports that his long-time ally George Cottrell had provided undisclosed funds for his security and staffing in the year before he became an MP.
Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore have all refused to run for the seat, leaving Count Binface as Mr Farage’s best-known opposition. Published by Daily Mail As for whether this made the whole exercise a farce, he insisted that this was a “real election with real people participating” and accused parties that did not attend of “underestimating the voters”. Ministers took a different view, suggesting he was just “trying to act like Donald Trump.”
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The events of the last two days leave much to be resolved: Why has Mr Farage triggered this by-election now? What does he expect to gain from this? So what does the absence of Labor and the Conservatives say about their own calculations?
I will try to answer your questions as much as I can. join me Friday, July 10 between 3 p.m. And 4pm BST for Q&A.
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