The Clacton by-election, set for 13 August, was prompted by the resignation of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage. While media attention has focused on a perceived binary choice between Farage and novelty candidate Count Binface, there are in fact 34 candidates on the ballot.
Among these candidates is John Stevens, representing the Rejoin EU party. Stevens, a former Conservative Member of the European Parliament, is reportedly running a professional, constituency-wide campaign.
An Ipsos poll indicates that only 25% of voters nationally have a positive view of joke candidates, a figure that drops to 13% among Conservative voters. Clacton was previously considered a safe Conservative seat.