In 2019 Tory MP and former actor Giles Watling won Clacton with 72.3 per cent of the vote and a majority of 24,702, with Labour a very distant third on just 15.5 per cent. But with the arrival of Mr Farage as the Reform UK candidate in a seat twice won by his former party Ukip, the dynamics in the Essex seaside town appear to have changed.
Based on local projections from Electoral Calculus, Mr Farage is now the frontrunner with 39 per cent of the vote, ahead of Labour in a surprise second place with 27.6 per cent, and the Tories in third on 25.3 per cent.
This story is from the June 17, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 17, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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