Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage is set to walk away with the election in Clacton-on-Sea, where he is running without competition from any other mainstream party.His only opposition comes from the costumed, other-worldly joke candidate known as Count Binface — the alter ego of British comedian Jon Harvey. Dressed in a spacesuit and trashcan-inspired helmet, Binface is polling around 20%. It’s a respectable showing for a self-described “alien” and “space warrior,” but he has little chance of overcoming his rival, who is polling at 73%.The count released a manifesto at the end of last month, outlining a two-point platform including promises to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s” and “build at least one affordable house.” Several of the manifesto points were thinly veiled digs at Farage, such as Binface’s promise to “spend more time in Clacton-on-Sea than in Washington D.C.”
Binface also pledged not to “accept £5 million gifts from crypto-billionaires (on Earth)” — a reference to the financial scandal that got his Reform rival in this position to begin with.Clacton-on-Sea is hardly Binface’s first foray into electoral politics. He previously stood for office in Makerfield in June against Andy Burnham, who defeated him and went on to become the prime minister last month. Before that, he ran in the 2019 and 2024 general elections, as well as two London mayoral elections.Binface is not particularly unique in his shtick. When the count stood against Burnham in the Makerfield election in June, he was also running against ecological activist Robert Pownall, who dressed in a janky fox costume and carried a piece of paper that read “Protect British Wildlife.”The United Kingdom has, for decades, been replete with joke candidates seeking to turn democratic elections into comic spectacles.
