Who’s the real winner from Nigel Farage’s resignation?

So, who’s looking like the big winner a day on from Nigel Farage’s stunning announcement that he’s stepping down as MP in order to run in the resulting by-election?

Because from where I’m standing, it doesn’t look much like Nigel Farage.

Maybe if all he’s bothered about is increasing his vote share in Clacton-on-Sea, his decision is likely to be a roaring success.

With all other major parties declining to stand in a vote they call a ‘stunt’ and ‘vanity project’, he’ll now face only a line-up of no-hopers and novelty candidates. What a dream!

But beyond that, it’s now hard to see how he comes away from this with more dignity than he had yesterday morning.

It does mean that he’ll get plenty of attention – and we know how much he usually likes attention. But will he like it so much when every interviewer is asking about that £5 million ‘gift’ from his crypto billionaire mate, or his close relationship with young aristocrat/crypto gambler/convicted fraudster ‘Posh’ George Cottrell?

Recent video evidence suggests not.

And when the mainstream parties are asked why they’re not participating, they will of course leap at the opportunity to remind everyone about the separate Parliamentary Standards investigations into that gift and that close relationship.

There will be no Question Time special, as there was for the Makerfield by-election last month. And I find it hard to imagine too many reporters will stay up overnight in Clacton to hear the result read out.

Back to that original question, then – one potential answer is actually Andy Burnham.

Farage might have intended to overshadow the presumptive new PM’s early weeks in office, but now it looks like he’ll instead be providing what could turn out to be quite a daft sideshow.

Burnham won’t have to work too hard to look like someone who is serious about governing, in contrast to the Reform leader leaving his constituents without representation in Parliament for a crucial summer.

However, there’s one clear candidate for the big winner in this bizarre situation, and I’m sure many readers are wondering how I’ve got this far without mentioning him.

For overseas readers, Count Binface is the alter ego of a comedian called Jon Harvey. If you saw the pictures of Andy Burnham being declared the winner in Makerfield, he’s the one on the left whose face looks like a bin.

Binface – a perennial candidate who has been running against high-profile politicians for almost ten years – quickly confirmed he would be going for the seat after the announcement yesterday.

It hasn’t taken long for the popular framing of this contest to become Farage versus Binface – David Lammy put it that way during Deputy PMQs, and Rachel Reeves did the same when she accepted the party leader’s resignation.

Not exactly the ‘people versus the establishment’ narrative Farage tried to pitch in his speech. And now, astonishingly, bookmakers William Hill have given the ‘independent space warrior’ 4-1 odds to win the vote.

If nothing else, Nigel Farage can rest assured he’s virtually guaranteed us a very silly summer indeed.

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