There's a man with a bin on his head, three people representing the Monster Raving Loony Party, Nigel Farage and an Australian — now all vying for the seat vacated by the Reform UK leader in a crucial by-election.The Clacton by-election, triggered by the parliamentary resignation of Farage over a donations scandal, has attracted all sorts of profiles to the mix.Farage, who is under investigation over millions of pounds' worth of undeclared gifts and donations from wealthy backers, quit parliament earlier this month to trigger a by-election, but said he would re-contest his seat. The Reform UK leader said he wanted voters in his electoral district in south-east England to judge his actions, not what he said was a liberal "establishment" bent on discrediting him.The by-election is due to be held on 13 August.Farage is widely expected to win the seat again, and is the only mainstream candidate running, after other major parties said they would refuse to take part in what they characterised as a stunt.News that makes senseYour trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.A number of joke candidates — including Count Binface and another called 'Nick the Incredible Flying Brick' — are vying for the seat, along with 20 independents. Among them is Melbourne-born Daniel Pocock.'Unleash an Australian upon London's establishment'Pocock is a Swiss-Irish-Australian software engineer who describes himself as an "expert on cybersecurity, open source software [and] cryptocurrencies".According to his website, he was born in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg before moving to rural Wandong. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2002 with a Bachelor of Computer Science.While studying, he joined the National Union of Students and used his technical skills to assist websites for early social causes. He built a website opposing the death penalty after Schapelle Corby's arrest in Bali on drug trafficking charges. He moved to Europe after graduation and worked for companies like Barclays Capital, Thomson Reuters, and UBS.In a press release announcing his candidacy, Pocock says he was spurred to nominate himself for Clacton by the prospect of "novelty candidates"."If the Essex Lion was to appear on the ballot paper, I suspect it would have an equally good chance of winning. I have yet to see a single report about the real, day-to-day issues facing residents of the district," he said."In a parody of this situation, I have chosen the codename Pocock-on-Sea for the operation to unleash an Australian upon London's Establishment."Pocock said Farage has proposed many Australian policies to replace UK ones, though he did not specify which. Farage has previously outlined an immigration plan that echoes Australia's offshore processing system, which has been heavily criticised by human rights advocates.He has challenged Farage to a debate. "Clacton residents now have the opportunity to take up the nearest pair of scissors and cut out the middleman. Why pay for Nigel Farage to copy Australian policies when you can simply have a real Australian like me?"Farage's party has returned favourable opinion polling in the UK for more than a year.The 62-year-old is under investigation by the UK parliament's anti-corruption watchdog over the non-disclosure of a £5 million ($9.6 million) donation from British-born, Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage's resignation means the inquiry will be suspended until after the by-election.Some voters in Clacton, a beach town famous for its Victorian pleasure pier, said that, while they were confused about the reason for a new election, they still supported Farage, whatever gifts he had received.Zoe Banks, a 53-year-old office worker, said she did not have a problem with the gift Farage received as long as it was legal, and she believed he was being attacked by the political establishment.Nigel Farage is under investigation by the UK's Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards over undeclared gifts and donations. Source: AAP / EPA / Andy Rain"He'll walk it," she said of the vote. "This time I might actually vote for him ... if he's not broken any rule."But Ray Lynaugh, a 54-year-old bus driver, disagreed."I dislike the man immensely," he told the Reuters news agency. "What he stands for, what he's done to the country. He is self-serving, self-centred."Why people vote for him, I don't know."At the UK's last general election in July 2024, Reform won a 46 per cent share of the vote, comfortably ahead of the second-placed Conservative Party at 28 per cent. Some voters are dismayed that Farage's only main challenger appeared to be Count Binface.Binface is a silver cape-clad character created by comedian Jonathan Harvey, who has run against three prime ministers over the last decade to poke fun at them while, he says, celebrating democracy."That's a joke. Is that a joke?" Alan Jones, a 57-year-old local, asked.— With additional reporting by Reuters.For the latest from SBS News, download our app and subscribe to our newsletter.