Nigel Farage (C), leader of the Reform UK party, celebrates the victory of Sarah Pochin, the party’s candidate, in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election at the DCBL Stadium in Widnes, north-west England, in the early hours of May 2, 2025.
Oli Scarff | Afp | Getty Images
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s right-wing Reform UK party, has won re-election to parliament in a vote he triggered himself last month by stepping down amid controversy over his finances.
Farage, who has previously been praised by U.S. President Donald Trump and was a figurehead in the U.K. campaign to leave the European Union, faces a parliamentary investigation over failure to declare a £5 million ($6.7 million) donation from a Thailand-based crypto investor. The probe was suspended following his resignation on July 7.
Mainstream parties boycotted the byelection, leaving Farage’s main opponent as costumed, serial candidate “Count Binface,” who came second.
Count Binface with the Count Binface Party speaks to the media where votes were being counted at The Edge on June 18, 2026 in Wigan, England.
Ryan Jenkinson | Getty Images
This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.