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Nigel Farage has accused his political rivals of “running scared” by refusing to contest the by-election he triggered in Clacton, claiming they fear defeat at the ballot box.

The Reform UK leader, who forced the vote following his shock resignation this week, accused political parties of showing “contempt” for voters by declining to stand candidates.

Issuing a rallying cry to the people of Clacton, he urged them to take on “the entire political establishment”, insisting the boycott showed his opponents were afraid to face the electorate.

Writing exclusively in this paper, the chief Brexiteer said: “The future of our democracy depends on who wins.”

He added: “As for the mainstream parties who have said they will not stand in this election – it’s an insult to the people of Clacton. The Conservatives conspired with Labour to cancel the local elections, they refuse to call for a general election and they will not stand in this by-election. What is the point of them?

“They are showing contempt for the voters and are running scared of this by-election because they won’t like the result.

“This vote in a few weeks is about whether ordinary people still have the power to stand up to an establishment that believes it can change the rules whenever it fears losing.

“This is a contest between the people of Clacton and the entire political establishment.”

The Clacton by-election, which Reform hopes will take place on August 6, was triggered when Mr Farage stepped down to stand in an emergency ballot to clear his name over a probe into his finances.

But rivals rounded on the move, with Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch branding the entire election “a farce”.

She told the Express: “This is a fake by-election that Nigel Farage is only holding because he doesn’t want to be held to account for accepting his fishy £5 million personal ‘gift’ or all these weird benefits from a convicted criminal.

“It’s actually Farage that’s running scared. Scared of scrutiny. Scared of being held to the same standards as every other MP.

“Now he can spend the next month explaining why he’s wasting everyone’s time and money fighting an election to get the job he just quit.”

But the Tory chief drew the line at backing Mr Farage’s rival in the race, Count Binface, by saying that if she lived in the constituency she would “be sitting by the beach having a nice summer”.

The Conservatives have said they will only contest a by-election should one be triggered by the conclusion of two investigations into Mr Farage by the Parliamentary standards committee.

Comedy candidate Count Binface threw his lid into the ring almost immediately on Tuesday, having most recently stood in the Makerfield by-election against soon-to-be Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The self-described “intergalactic space warrior” declared he was the “unity candidate” and announced his first pledge would be to “build at least one affordable house”.

Count Binface conceded he will probably not win in Clacton, where Mr Farage had a majority of 8,405 and 46.2% of the vote in 2024.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My job is to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy.

“And look at this, eh? The fact that you are interviewing me on the Today programme, because all the other parties aren’t standing, says more about them than it does about me.”

In a furious speech on Tuesday afternoon, Mr Farage said the ballot would be a fight between the “people versus the establishment” as he railed against the “haranguing” of his family.

It followed increased scrutiny of the Reform UK leader’s finances after he received a £5 million gift from cryptocurrency millionaire Christopher Harborne.

It later emerged that Mr Farage had been partly funded by George Cottrell, a long-time friend who spent time in a US prison for offences linked to money laundering.

Mr Farage did not declare the funds, which were made before he became an MP, leading rivals to demand an investigation.

In his video address earlier this week, Mr Farage insisted he had “done nothing wrong”.

He added: “I have not broken the law in any way at all.”

In a blast at the parliamentary authorities, he said they were “now being used as a political tool”.

There has even been wrangling in Westminster to see the entire election delayed or called off.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has led calls to block the resignation until a probe into Mr Farage’s finances has finished.

He said: “The Government should just say no to Farage’s ego-trip and block his resignation.

His party has called for the by-election only to be allowed once the Parliament’s anti-sleaze investigator ends his inquiry so “the people of Clacton should have all the facts before they cast their votes”.

Opinion pollster YouGov said that some 24% of the country agreed Mr Farage was right to call the election, with 43% against the move.

Mr Farage initially won the seafront seat in 2024, seizing it from the Conservatives with some 46% of the vote.

But polling guru Professor Sir John Curtice warned the upcoming race may amount to nothing if no one else stands.

He told the BBC that if the other main political parties do not field a candidate, it would result in a “relatively damp squib”.

But the mood in Clacton on Wednesday revealed a sense of frustration, with locals annoyed Mr Farage has called the by-election, and others fearful he could lose.

Lifelong Express reader Pat Wright hailed Mr Farage as the “man who got us out the common market when no one else bothered”.

She believed that Mr Farage was right to call the by-election, adding: “You need a businessman in Parliament, and he’s a businessman.

“What he’s done with that money is to protect himself, and I hope people do vote for him.”

Ms Wright, a pensioner who fears immigrants are “scrounging off local people”, said people are “on about Nigel Farage because they’re frightened of him”.

But local Robert Woolf, who voted for Reform at the 2024 general election, was less convinced.

He branded the by-election “silly” and believed that Mr Farage had done “nothing for Clacton”.

Mr Woolf said: “I think they should clear him or not clear him, and then after that – if he hasn’t done anything wrong, there should be no problem.

“I will definitely not vote for him again, everything he does is just for the publicity.”

With all the major parties refusing to stand candidates against Mr Farage, he could end up facing off against a collection of smaller parties, protest groups and a satirical hopeful Count Binface.

Another possible challenger is actor Laurence Fox, leader of the Reclaim Party, who hinted he could enter the race. Writing on X on Wednesday, he said: “Clacton is my back yard. I will be standing against Nigel Farage in the constituency.”

Restore Britain, a party founded by the former Reform MP Rupert Lowe, blasted the election as an “unnecessary sham” as he confirmed his party would not contest it.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who as part of her role had to allow the election, described the ballot as a “farce” and a “desperate distraction”.

Ms Reeves added: “If he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.”