Nigel Farage launches election campaign in Clacton

Nigel Farage said "you will no longer be ignored" as he launched his personal election campaign in Clacton-on-Sea.

He visited the town's seafront a day after he announced he would become leader of Reform UK and stand as a candidate in the Essex constituency.

It followed a U-turn as Mr Farage previously said he would not run for Parliament this year.

Clacton, which became the first seat held by a UKIP MP in 2014, had a Conservative majority of 24,702 at the last general election in 2019.

Mr Farage told a crowd of people that he would spend "a considerable amount of my time with you fighting for those who don't have their voice".

"I hope that having a national figure representing this constituency will put Clacton on the map," he said.

"No longer will you be ignored; I hope I can get investment that will bring jobs.

"I will stand up and fight for you... send me to Parliament to be a bloody nuisance."

The constituency's former Conservative MP Douglas Carswell defected to UKIP in 2014 and won the seat for his new party in a by-election that year - and retained it in the general election in 2015.

Following the Brexit referendum in 2016, Giles Watling reclaimed the seat for the Conservatives in 2017 with a 15,828 majority, and held it in 2019.

Mr Watling told BBC Essex that Mr Farage "doesn't give two hoots" about the constituency, which also includes the seaside towns of Frinton and Walton, and villages inland including St Osyth, Tendring and Wix.

"This is all about Nigel, as ever," said the former actor, who appeared in 1980s BBC sitcom Bread.

"I don’t want to see the residents of Clacton-on-Sea taken for granted and sacrificed on the altar of his vanity."

Mr Watling said he felt it was his job to "transform Clacton's future" by using government funding he had secured.

Labour candidate Jovan Owusu-Nepaul said Britain was "crying out for change" as the party fought for every seat.

"The only way to bring about change is by voting the Tories out and electing a new Labour government," he said.