Nigel Farage handed major poll boost after Clacton by-election victory
Britons see Nigel Farage's Clacton by-election victory as a success for him, new polling shows. A survey by More in Common found 39% said it was a good result for the Reform UK leader, compared to just 15% who said it was a bad result and 24% who said it was neither good nor bad.
Among Reform voters, those saying it was a good result jumps to 78%, including 47% who said it was very good. Every voter group except the Green Party is more likely to say Mr Farage's win was a good result than a bad or neutral. But 49% of respondents said the Brexiteer - who won the contest with more votes than he received at the last general election - should face a second by-election if he is found to have broken the rules amid the row over his finances.
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Luke Tryl, UK Director at More in Common, said: “If one of Farage’s aims in calling this by-election was to motivate supporters and project confidence, it seems to have proven quite successful: Britons tend to think that the result was a victory for Farage, and among Reform’s own voters four in five say that it was a good result for him.
"Yet the public are less aligned with Farage’s hopes that winning the support of the people of Clacton might put the donations row to bed.
"If Farage is seen to have broken the rules, Britons tend to say he should face a second by-election.
"Beyond Reform’s own supporters, few think that this by-election lets him off the hook, or that he is being unfairly targeted.
"So while it seems the public see Clacton as a victory for Reform, most don’t see it as a vindication of Farage’s position on the finance row."
Mr Farage triggered his "people versus the establishment" by-election amid a parliamentary investigation over a £5 million gift he received from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne.
He received the sum before he became an MP but the probe is looking at whether it should have been declared when he entered the Commons.
Mr Farage won the Clacton by-election on Thursday with 22,239 votes, but it was snubbed by the main parties who said they would run if there is a second contest.
The investigation has now resumed and a second by-election could be forced if he is found to have broken the rules and a suspension of more than 10 days is imposed.
More in Common polled 2,055 people from August 14-17.