The far-right Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage, announced he was resigning as member of Parliament for his Clacton constituency this week – in order to stand as MP for his Clacton constituency.
The move has triggered a by-election, which critics have slammed as a stunt by Farage to delay a parliamentary inquiry into a funding scandal he has become mired in.
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In a show of disgust for what Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed as “a circus”, all other major political parties have refused to field candidates, leaving Farage to stand alone.
Until now. One outsider has entered the race: Count Binface, a satirical figure known for his rubbish-can-shaped helmet and absurd campaign promises, as well as a frequent contender in UK elections, says he will take the far-right leader on all by himself if the by-election takes place.
He is not the only “joke” candidate to frequent UK elections. The Monster Raving Loony Party also regularly fields candidates – including at the Makerfield by-election in June.
So who is Count Binface and what does his candidacy mean?
Who is Count Binface?
He is the political campaign persona of comedian Jon Harvey, who has long made light of British politics with his theatrical costumes and comical policy proposals, including to cut the cost of 99 Flake ice creams to 99 pence ($1.33).
He first appeared at the 2017 general election when he challenged former Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May in the constituency of Maidenhead under the moniker Lord Buckethead.
Most recently, he stood as a candidate in the Makerfield by-election, which was won by Andy Burnham, now widely considered the prime minister-in-waiting following the resignation of Starmer over dismal May local elections and his sinking popularity.
Binface styles himself as an “intergalactic space warrior” who is the 5,900-year-old “leader of the Recyclons” and he can frequently be seen in the lineup of candidates at elections around the country.
Where else has Count Binface stood for election?
He has stood as a candidate in at least six elections since 2019.
These include the 2019 general election, when he stood against Conservative former Prime Minister Boris Johnson; the 2024 general election when he challenged Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, two London mayoral races and this year’s Makerfield by-election that brought Andy Burnham back to Parliament.
Count Binface has said his main appeal in the current Clacton byelection race is: “I’m not Nigel Farage.”
Has he ever come close to winning anything before?
Not really, but Binface did receive more than 24,000 votes in the 2021 London mayoral race, which was won by current London Mayor Sadiq Khan, finishing in ninth place out of 20 candidates.
That placed him ahead of several higher-profile figures and parties, including Piers Corbyn, the brother of ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, and Peter Gammons of the UK Independence Party.
What are his policies?
Count Binface combines satire with occasional political commentary, and runs his election campaigns on proposals ranging from abolishing the House of Lords to renaming London Bridge “Phoebe Waller-Bridge” after a famous English actress, and sending right-wing, anti-immigrant commentator Katie Hopkins to the “Phantom Zone”.
He has also called for bans on the use of cellphone speakerphones in public and eating noisy snacks in cinemas, as well as calling for 1 trillion pounds ($1.34 trillion) in weekly funding for the NHS – without providing information about how that would be funded, naturally.
Recently, he has also promised to cap the cost of a “99 Flake” – a vanilla ice cream cone which comes with a chocolate stick and is a staple of the British summertime – at 99 pence ($1.33). Ice cream lovers trying to escape the current heatwave can buy 99 Flakes from ice cream vans around the country for anything between 2.50 pounds ($3.35) and 4.50 pounds ($6.03).
For the upcoming Clacton race, Binface says he will “be a unity candidate”, pledging to “build at least one affordable house”, in a nod to the ongoing housing affordability crisis in the UK and other western nations.
What happens if he wins Clacton?
In the highly unlikely event that Count Binface defeats Farage, it would be a historically unprecedented upset and major blow to Reform UK. Even the fact that Count Binface is the only candidate to have so far announced his candidacy against Farage has complicated Farage’s effort to frame the election as a serious test of his strength.
British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves, who had to formally approve Farage’s bid to resign as MP, called the byelection a “farce and a desperate distraction”, but said she would not obstruct it.
“The people of Clacton deserve better,” said Reeves in a post on X. “But if he [Farage] wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.”
As for Binface himself, he told the UK’s Guardian newspaper that, if elected, he will rise to the challenge. “It’s earliest days yet, and there is a long old road to go, but if in the unlikely event that the humans of Clacton prefer me to old Nige, then I will do my very best to represent them,” he said.
In an interview with the BBC, he acknowledged he was unlikely to win in Clacton but added that he wanted “to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy”.
He seems to be getting support, however. Binface told the Guardian that he has received a deluge of emails and messages from fans offering to assist his campaign, knocking on doors and delivering leaflets.
Why does the UK have a tradition of joke candidates?
Parody candidates have been part of British political culture for many decades. Some aim to mock mainstream politicians, while others use humour to raise genuine policy points.
In the recent Makerfield by-election contest, Burnham also faced off with Robert Pownall, who wore a fox suit to attract attention for his campaign against trail hunting.
The tradition of satirical election campaigns took off with the emergence of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party in the 1980s, started by musician David “Screaming Lord” Sutch.
That party has since put forward a raft of flamboyant candidates in parliamentary races.
While most of their proposals have been intentionally absurd, several, such as all-day pub opening hours, have actually gained traction.
