Nigel Farage arrived at the polling station in Clacton-on-Sea in good spirits as he cast his vote in the by-election.
The Reform UK leader smiled and shook hands with voters on Thursday morning, appearing confident and cheerful despite the fact that nearly all major parties have boycotted the election.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described it as “fake” while Sir Keir Starmer called it “a desperate political stunt”, leaving Count Binface – a satirical character who has pledged to abolish VAR in football and “nationalise Adele” – as his main rival.
Thursday’s by-election was triggered after Mr Farage resigned amid scrutiny over his finances.
Voters will have until 10pm to cast their ballots, with counting taking place overnight, with the results expected on Friday morning.
It comes as Labour have over taken Reform in a series of polls with Mr Farage's party struggling following a series of scandals, including questions about a £5m donation he received from crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne and gifts from a convicted criminal, George Cottrell.
Pictures from Clacton today
What time will the Clacton by-election result be announced?
The result is expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday.
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