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The Tory and Labour candidates who Nigel Farage<\/a> beat to win his Westminster seat of Clacton have described a Reform campaign that felt like a \u201cjuggernaut\u201d, as police began assessing claims of overspending by the Reform UK leader.<\/p>\n The candidates spoke after a former aide alleged that Reform UK<\/a> falsely reported election expenses in Clacton, where Farage won in last year\u2019s general election. On Monday, Essex police said they were assessing a report of \u201calleged misreported expenditure by a political party\u201d after a referral from the Metropolitan police.<\/p>\n Richard Everett, a former Reform UK councillor and member of Farage\u2019s campaign team, has reportedly submitted documents to police showing the party spent more than the \u00a320,660 limit in the Essex constituency.<\/p>\n Everett has claimed Reform failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and the refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office, according to the Daily Telegraph<\/a>.<\/p>\n He alleges the party\u2019s official returns report that it came just \u00a3400 under the spending limit set by electoral law, and the undeclared spending would have put it above the cap. But he also said he thought Farage himself had been \u201cblissfully unaware\u201d.<\/p>\n Giles Watling, who had held the seat for the Conservatives before Farage won with more than 46% of votes cast in the contest, said that it was for others to determine whether there had been any illegality, but it felt as if Farage had got \u201cmore bang for his buck\u201d during his campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a juggernaut but also one where we were swamped by people coming from all over the country to support him in his bid to take the seat,\u201d added the former MP, whose own campaign underspent. He has told of a lack of support from Conservative HQ, with Labour supporters sometimes turning up to offer backing.<\/p>\n \u201cFarage had a presidential style of campaign, turning up now and again and holding rallies, while the campaign made you feel as if he was there all the time. We now know of course he was in America a lot while I was knocking on doors,\u201d he added. The former MP said there seemed to be \u201cgazillions\u201d of Reform leaflets in the constituency.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really did feel like a David and Goliath battle and I felt swamped to be honest. People can turn up but the buses and electronic billboards have to be paid for.\u201d<\/p>\n Watling said that, as an actor, he paid tribute to Farage\u2019s skills as a communicator, while still being concerned about the direction in which Reform was taking British politics.<\/p>\n The Labour candidate, Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, said: \u201cI knew that I was on the back foot from an early stage. It was clear when we saw what seemed to be endless supplies of leaflets going through people\u2019s doors, fancy banners going up every day and campaign vehicles.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat do you do when you are up against a machine like that? For me this is about democracy. We can disagree and make the case for our own issues but democracy is also recognising due process and operating within the parameters of the contest.\u201d<\/p>\n Tony Mack, who was originally the Reform candidate in Clacton but ran as an independent after accusing the party of reneging on pledges to give him a \u201cvery big role in the campaign\u201d, said it was clear to him that his former party had spent more on the campaign than it had declared.<\/p>\n