Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, faced the voters of Clacton in a bold political gamble, betting that they would align with him against the British political establishment. His gamble paid off.

Farage successfully regained his seat in Parliament on Friday, following a dramatically called by-election. This election was prompted by Farage himself to address allegations relating to his financial dealings, offering Clacton’s voters a chance to make their judgment. Surprisingly, his main opponent was neither from Labour nor the Conservatives, but Count Binface, a comedic candidate portrayed by Jon Harvey, known for his unique getup resembling a trash can.

The results, issued by Tendring District Council, revealed Farage claiming 22,239 votes, with Count Binface securing 9,455. The voter turnout stood at 44.37%. However, Britain’s leading political parties refrained from participating, dismissing the election as a self-serving maneuver.

“I initiated this by-election to let the people of Clacton and those within this constituency serve as my judges, rather than the British mainstream media and the political elite who often portray us negatively,” Farage explained to his supporters ahead of the election results. “I wanted the voters of Clacton to be my jury.”

Farage resigned from Parliament last month, forcing the vote as he sought a renewed mandate amid a parliamentary investigation into whether he should have declared a £5 million, or roughly $6.75 million, gift from a billionaire cryptocurrency investor. Farage has acknowledged receiving the money and not declaring it, but maintains he did nothing wrong. The gamble succeeded in returning Farage to Westminster — but it did not make the investigation disappear.

He had previously called the reporting around his finances an “establishment hit job” and said he had followed the rules.

Shortly after the election result was declared, the parliamentary standards investigation, which had been suspended when Farage resigned his seat, was once again listed as active, Reuters reported. Parliament’s current investigations page lists the Farage case as having opened May 13 under Rule 5, “Failure to register an interest.” Parliament notes that the opening of an investigation does not itself mean the rules have been breached.

If the investigation ultimately leads to a qualifying suspension from Parliament, it could trigger a recall petition. Under British parliamentary rules, a suspension of at least 10 sitting days, or 14 calendar days, can trigger that process. A by-election would follow only if the recall petition reached the required threshold of support from eligible voters in the constituency.

Reuters reported that Farage had cast the election as a battle between ordinary voters and an establishment determined to discredit him. But with Labour, the Conservatives and other major parties refusing to participate, his principal opponent became Count Binface — whose policies included capping the price of ice cream cones and conscripting anyone using a speakerphone on public transportation.

Farage nevertheless framed the result as a sweeping rejection of his political opponents.

“Today, the voters in Clacton have stuck two fingers up to the entire political establishment,” he told supporters.

Alan Mendoza, founder and executive director of the London-based Henry Jackson Society, and an advisor to Farage, offered a similar interpretation of the result.

“A tremendous result for Nigel Farage in Clacton,” Mendoza wrote on X Friday. He argued that Farage’s increased raw vote total despite the boycott by major parties showed voters had resisted efforts to turn them against the Reform leader, calling the result a “spectacular two fingered salute” to his critics.

Farage did not appear at the official vote declaration, saying police had advised him there was a campaign to disrupt the result. GB News later reported that Essex Police said it had not told any candidate not to attend the declaration.

“I’m damned if I’m going to stand on the stage having won a resounding victory … and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies,” Farage said before the count was completed.

The election comes at a more complicated moment nationally for Reform UK.

After holding a lengthy lead in national opinion polling, Reform has seen its support decline, Reuters reported, citing both the controversy surrounding Farage’s finances and a rise in support for Labour since Andy Burnham became prime minister last month. Reuters said Labour was leading Reform 28% to 25%, while Reform also faces competition on the right from the Conservative Party and Restore Britain.

Still, Farage increased his raw vote total from the 2024 general election. He received 22,239 votes Friday, compared with 21,225 in 2024, an increase of 1,014 votes despite lower turnout, according to GB News.

For now, Farage has the seat back and the renewed mandate from Clacton voters that he sought.But the parliamentary investigation he was fighting is back as well.

In a startling revelation, late Playboy tycoon Hugh Hefner was reported to have alerted the FBI regarding Jeffrey Epstein after learning of grievous allegations involving the disgraced financier from a Playmate who accused him of sexual assault and trafficking.

As per the New York Post, Audra Lynn Christiansen, who graced the magazine’s pages as a Playmate in 2003, sought shelter at the Playboy Mansion. Claiming that Epstein had sexually assaulted her and ensnared her into a trafficking ring catering to elites, she implored Hefner for assistance.

In 2005, Christiansen urged Hefner to leverage his powerful status and network to report her ordeal to the authorities, hoping this influence might lend gravity to her alarming claims.

The allegations maintain that Hefner responded by contacting the FBI multiple times on behalf of Christiansen to relay information about Epstein, as highlighted in the New York Post’s coverage of the situation.

These revelations emerge from an amended complaint filed this May in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, shedding light on the deep and troubling connections intertwined within this tragic narrative.

The lawsuit, brought by Epstein victims, accuses the FBI of failing to act on multiple reports of his sexual abuse dating back to 1996.

Christiansen, now 46, claims that she didn’t hear back from the FBI until October 2020 – fifteen years after Hefner, who died in 2017, had called them. 

She reportedly told FBI agents that she’d been introduced to Epstein after her 2003 Playboy shoot was released. 

Christiansen also briefly appeared on E!’s The Girls Next Door reality show and had a minor part in the 2007 spoof film Epic Movie.  

The allegations are detailed in a new lawsuit which was first reported by Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown, who shared it on her Substack blog.

The Daily Mail has contacted Playboy for comment.  

Epstein killed himself inside of his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City at the age of 66 in August 2019.  

At the time of his death, he had pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking minors and conspiracy, and was awaiting trial when he died.

His suicide fueled public speculation that he was assassinated as part of a cover-up to protect high-profile individuals who were potentially complicit in his crimes.

From that, a theory emerged that the well-connected financier maintained a list of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked. 

Aside from his longtime associate and former lover Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to serve 20 years behind bars in June 2022 for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, there have been no US arrests relating to the financier.

Hefner was also accused of rape, although all the allegations against him came out after he died in 2017 at age 91.

Many women who previously dated and worked with the late magazine editor detailed alleged encounters with him and made numerous explosive accusations as part of the A&E docuseries Secrets of Playboy in 2022.

Throughout the series, multiple women accused Hefner of sexual assault, bestiality, and other sexual misconduct.

However, others later defended the Playboy mogul, including actress and former Playmate Jenny McCarthy.  

McCarthy – who first modeled for Playboy in 1993 and moved into the mansion soon after – recalled the house being run like a ‘strict dormitory.’

‘We weren’t even allowed near Hef or around the house. It was almost like Catholic school, to be honest,’ she said on Zack Peter’s No Filter.

She explained that when she lived in the mansion, Hefner was married to Playmate Kimberley Conrad, who was his main focus

‘I’m so grateful that when I was there, Hef was married,’ she said.

‘I think I went in there in a window of time that was kind of safe. There were no orgies or big parties going on. But hearing some of these girls’ stories was really rough. Hearing their stories, my heart broke for a lot of these women.’

In a remarkable discovery this week, construction workers in Belgium unearthed $10.4 million worth of gold during the construction of a new sewer beneath a former brewery site. Local authorities swiftly confirmed the astounding find.

Police officials from Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, a quaint Flemish town on the outskirts of Brussels, reported that the workers immediately informed them about the treasure trove. The officers meticulously cataloged the gold before storing it securely in a federally managed high-security vault.

Among the workers was 18-year-old Kobe, who recounted his initial surprise to VRT news. “At first glance, I thought they were just 1 Euro coins,” he admitted, still digesting the magnitude of their discovery.

Kobe described the collective shock shared by the crew, mentioning that their initial reaction was one of disbelief and amazement. He explained that they stumbled upon the gold while removing part of the building’s foundation to install new sewer pipes.

“When we did that, we suddenly saw something lying around,” he said.

Project leader Mario said it was a “crazy feeling.”

“They shouted, ‘We found gold,'” he told the outlet of his workers. “I went to look and took the gold in my hands. We also continued to dig up new coins and bars. Only then did what we had found really dawn.” 

He called his boss and then the police.

The construction workers don’t actually get to keep the gold. Under Belgian law, the rightful owner has the right to claim the gold within five years.

When asked if it had crossed his mind to keep it, Mario told VRT, “It’s about so many coins and bars, that almost wouldn’t be possible. Besides, it would also be theft.”

Kobe said he still hoped for a finder’s fee. “That would be nice.”

The building is owned by an organization that provides welfare support to the Flemish community.

The director of the organization said he hoped the gold could be used to help with the “enormous need we experience daily,” according to the BBC.

The local police warned treasure hunters against visiting the site, saying it’s a fenced-off construction site with “several dangerous pits” and that the gold has all been removed.

Police added, “We hope this treasure ends up in the right hands and that this unexpected discovery positively changes many lives!”

The Mets’ season has been anything but predictable, a reality underscored on Friday night as Kodai Senga took the mound in a surprising closer role during the ninth inning against the Washington Nationals. As the iconic beats of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” reverberated through Citi Field, Senga prepared to secure a crucial win.

This outing marked a significant moment for the Mets right-hander, who previously only faced short-inning relief duties away from his home turf. Senga didn’t disappoint, clinching the victory by delivering a flawless inning that sealed a 4-1 triumph over the Nationals.

This performance was yet another in Senga’s string of successes, marking his fourth consecutive scoreless relief outing and his second time earning a save this season.

With the absence of Devin Williams, sidelined by a strained shoulder, interim manager Andy Green indicated that Senga will be a bullpen mainstay in the foreseeable future.

“He’s been performing well,” Green asserted. “Senga’s been relentless in his approach, consistently attacking the strike zone. We’re confident he’ll continue to handle high-pressure situations effortlessly.”

That could be in the eighth inning as well, depending on matchups, according to Green.

And Senga is doing his best to embrace the new role, which came after he repeatedly flopped as a starter following his standout rookie season.

“It’s easier to prepare when you know you’re going in later in the game,’’ Senga said through an interpreter. “You’re always physically and mentally prepared.”

One part of working as a reliever Senga has yet to do is throw on back-to-back days.

“I think I’m well prepared for it,’’ Senga said.

No one was prepared for the song choice, though, as the stadium darkened and the 1980s hit came on, with Senga running in from the bullpen with a three-run lead.

Senga said he chose it because he “heard it for the first time in a while and thought ‘That’s a great song.’ ”

Green approved of the choice and also was impressed again by Senga’s approach.

“I don’t see an ounce of fear,’’ Green said. “I see somebody attack the situation. That’s what you’re looking for.”

None of this is what the Mets had in mind when he signed a five-year, $75 million deal prior to the 2023 season.

At this point, they’ll take what they can get from the 33-year-old, and there is belief that his four-seam fastball/forkball mix may play out of the bullpen.

Green noted that Senga’s final pitch of the game, a forkball that Abimelec Ortiz swung over, was perfect.

Senga retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth before Jacob Young singled to right. He then hit CJ Abrams with a pitch to bring up the potential tying run in Ortiz before ending it.

The 33-year old had a 10.08 ERA after his last start as a member of the rotation on June 23, so nearly anything would be an improvement.

Considering his early success, it’s hardly a surprise to see Senga not shying away from his new job.

He acknowledged the adrenaline is “different’’ coming out of the pen and with another year and $15 million on his deal, Senga may have to get accustomed to it.

Mark Vientos (right hand fracture) is hitting, fielding and did agility drills on the field, but the Mets are not sure when he will start a rehab assignment.

Francisco Lindor continued his recent hot hitting with a homer that tied the game in the sixth, which helped make up for a third-inning error that led to an unearned run.