After seven previous failed attempts in Eastleigh, Bexhill and Battle, Salisbury, Thanet South (twice), Bromley and Chislehurst, and Buckingham, Mr Farage and his supporters believe that this time he stands a real chance of winning the seat in the Commons that has always eluded him.
But why Clacton? What is it about the quiet seat filled with pensioners, with its pier and arcades, that makes it the perfect place for the former Brexit Party and Ukip leader to stand? After all, this was the seat that delivered Tory MP Giles Watling, a former actor who was in the sitcom Bread, a massive 24,702 majority in 2019.
Brexit! Brexit! Brexit!
Clacton was one of the biggest Leave-voting constituencies in the country in 2016, and has remained strongly in support of Brexit. In the 2016 referendum, 73 per cent of those who voted in the seat voted to leave the EU. It makes Clacton a fertile campaigning area for a man whom Donald Trump has dubbed “Mr Brexit”.
This story is from the June 04, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the June 04, 2024 edition of The Independent.
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