This combination of file photos created on August 10, 2026 shows then-London mayoral candidate Count Binface (L) posing for a photo on College Green beside the Palace of Westminster in London on April 25, 2024; and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (R) speaking during the inaugural Conservative Political Action Conference Great Britain in south-east London on July 17, 2026. Hard-right UK politician Nigel Farage will be fighting for his parliamentary seat in snap polls on August 13, 2026, going head-to-head with parody candidate Count Binface in a snap election. The by-election was called after Farage, leader of the anti-immigration Reform UK party, resigned last month as MP for Clacton-on-Sea.
Voters in eastern England head to the polls Thursday for a by-election triggered by hard-right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, but amid a boycott by mainstream parties his main rival is a joke candidate called Count Binface .
The traditional parties have shunned the contest for the Clacton parliamentary seat -- represented by Farage since July 2024 -- denouncing his move to resign and launch a new vote as a stunt.
Polling stations open at 7:00 am (0600 GMT) with a total of 34 candidates in the running, forcing Farage to face off against dozens of fringe candidates, including Binface.
