LONDON: British politics has a long-cherished reputation for attracting the weird and wonderful. But in a pantheon of colorful characters, Count Binface, a man wearing a rubbish bin over his head, is stealing the show. The self-described “intergalactic space warrior” from the fictional planet Sigma IX takes on hard-line anti-immigrant politician Nigel Farage on Thursday in the Clacton by-election, triggered when the Reform UK leader resigned in a shock move.

The prospect of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage being humiliated by Count Binface in this week’s byelection generated global headlines. But the joke is wearing thin in Clacton.

The prospect of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage being humiliated by Count Binface in this week’s byelection generated global headlines. But the joke is wearing thin in Clacton.