The Monster Raving Loony Party vow to bring even more chaos to Clacton

What would a by-election even be without the good folk of the Monster Raving Loony Party?

But even their loony leader Howling Laud Hope is confused by Nigel Farage’s decision to step down as Clacton-on-Sea MP – only to fight for the role again.

He told Metro: ‘I do not think Farage has done the right thing. I know him personally and I think he has gone the wrong way about this.

‘Farage always said about the EU that as long as I am in it, I can change it from the inside. Then he becomes a Member of Parliament for Clacton.

‘Why would he want to re-elect himself? That does not make sense to me. I am pretty sure he is going to romp home.

‘It is like Makerfield. We called it a mock election. It had nothing to do with the constituency of Makerfield.’

His dream for the deprived seaside town ravaged by unemployment, crime and poor housing is to transform it to a British Disneyland.

‘And Clacton will be the place to build it’, he insists. ‘Everybody will be making money. Clacton will be back to its glory days.

‘That is all it needs. Everybody would be happy. Dancing on the streets and singing’, adding he wants to bring Clacton-on-Sea to the days when Butlin’s second ever camp was opened to much fanfare.

On Farage’s main rival Count Binface, he said: ‘I met him a couple of times. He speaks in a galactic voice. I keep telling him, look, we are going to rule the loony-verse, not you.

‘I do not know him personally, because I have never seen his face. You cannot make up your mind about somebody when you haven’t seen their face.’

His party have become an ode to the eccentricities of British democracy but this Clacton count – which he expects to be called on August 13 – will be extra special.

Howling Laud Hope said: ‘At this precise moment in time, I have done 37 parliamentary elections.

‘If I do one more, then I will hold the Guinness Book of Records for the most times standing for the same party.

‘The record before that that Screaming Lord Sutch and myself share. If I do one more, I will then be the champion.’

‘We are also considering fielding another couple of candidates in Clacton under the Monster Raving Loony Party. That has never been done before.’

Those candidates could be the ‘Flying Brick’, Sir Grumpus from Wales and even more. But there could be more headaches for Farage.

Labour has accused Reform UK of taking the public ‘for fools’ amid further questions about the party’s financial affairs.

Anna Turley, the Labour chairwoman, said there were ‘legitimate questions’ for Reform leader Nigel Farage following reports in The Times that the Metropolitan Police has been investigating £500,000 donations to Reform UK for more than a year.

According to the newspaper, officers opened an inquiry into possible offences related to evading restrictions on donations at the 2024 election, either through concealing donations from an ‘impermissible’ donor or using false information about a donation.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said the force had opened an inquiry in February 2025 following a referral by the Electoral Commission ‘relating to donations made to a political party ahead of the 2024 UK general election’.

The spokesperson said two people had so far been interviewed under caution and ‘early investigative advice’ had been sought from the Crown Prosecution Service, but no arrests have been made.

Ms Turley said it was ‘right’ that the police were investigating the matter, adding: ‘The British public know when they’re being taken for fools – if Nigel Farage could clear his name, he would have done it by now.’

A spokesperson for Reform UK said: ‘The British people are tired of the establishment media doing anything they can to stop Reform.

‘A daily routine of hit jobs and smears will not deter us from winning the next general election and fixing broken Britain.

‘It’s now clear that the establishment will try anything to stop us.’