Ask John Rentoul anything: What is really going on with Farage’s Clacton by-election?

Ask John Rentoul anything: What is really going on with Farage’s Clacton by-election? As Nigel Farage accuses his opponents of ‘running away’ from an election, and the main parties say his attempt to distract from scrutiny of his finances has descended into farce, chief political commentator John Rentoul is here to answer your questions on a contest that’s dividing Westminster - Bookmark Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, chief political commentator at The Independent. To see the questions and my answers, scroll down. Make sure to press the “load more” button to read the full Q&A. Nigel Farage has triggered a by-election in Clacton – and with it, plenty of confusion over what he is actually trying to achieve. The Reform UK leader insists the contest is “real” — even though his only declared opponent is a man in a bin costume. The by-election was called on Tuesday just as scrutiny of Mr Farage's finances was intensifying, with reports that his long-standing ally George Cottrell had provided undeclared funding for his security and staffing in the year before he became an MP. Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens and Restore have all declined to contest the seat, leaving Count Binface as Mr Farage’s best-known opposition. Pressed by the Daily Mail on whether that made the whole exercise a farce, he insisted it was “a real election with real people” and accused the absent parties of “contempt for the electorate”. Ministers took a different view, suggesting he is simply “trying to pretend he’s Donald Trump”. How to join the Q&A Make sure you are logged in to a registered account on independent.co.uk. Register or log in here — then return to this page to submit your question! The events of the last two days leave a lot to untangle: why has Mr Farage has triggered this by-election now? What does he expect to gain from it? And what does Labour and the Conservatives' absence say about their own calculations? I will be on hand to try to answer as many of your questions as I can. Join me on Friday 10 July between 3pm and 4pm BST for the Q&A. If you’re struggling to post, please make sure you are logged in to a registered account on independent.co.uk. Register or log in here – then return to this page to submit your question! Get John Rentoul’s Commons Confidential newsletter You can keep the conversation going with John Rentoul’s weekly Commons Confidential newsletter, exclusive to Independent Premium subscribers. Simply subscribe at £1 for six months here. Every Wednesday, John shares the stories, gossip and political insight you won't find anywhere else. You can also email in your own thoughts each week, with John replying to a selection from readers in every edition. If you’re already subscribed to Independent Premium and want to check out our full offering of Premium and free newsletters click here.