Kmflett's Blog

Nigel Farage called a By-Election in his Essex Constituency of Clacton and then didn’t bother to show for the announcement of his victory. He also cancelled a victory speech scheduled for Clacton on Friday morning. Farage claimed there were security issues (perhaps the same ones that means he has never held a surgery in the Constituency). The police confirmed there were not.

Ace BBC reporter Chris Mason could not discover where Farage was but the Guardian did. He was at an all night Farage Fest bender in a field somewhere else in Essex. Presumably he is now sleeping off the hangover.

After a 25-minute or so drive from the count, at an airbase far away from the heart of Clacton-on-Sea, a lone guard sat in complete darkness beside a sign that read Farage Fest.

After getting through this initial security checkpoint and parking up, there was a trudge through a dark country lane. Soon, the festival came into full view, with a lit-up ferris wheel, tents and Farage himself at about 3.30am, visible through a gated fence.

But after reaching the entrance, undercover security guards intervened and said it was a ticketed event. They asked the Guardian to leave and trailed behind while leaving the premises.