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Count Binface is celebrating ‘Bindependence Day’ after getting his ‘highest ever’ vote count in a general election.
The satirical candidate, who has stood in a number of high profile elections including the London Mayoral race, faced off against Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Richmond, North Yorkshire overnight.
Taking to social media after the results had been confirmed, Count Binface took at dig at the beleaguered Prime Minister as he celebrated gaining more than 300 votes.
Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, was gunning for Rishi Sunak’s constituency seat in Richmond and Northallteron, pledging to voters in his manifesto to introduce national service for former prime ministers and invite European countries to join the UK.
While Mr Sunak retained his seat with 23,059 votes, the Count, running for the Count Binface Party came sixth in the poll, following Green Party candidate Kevin Foster, with 308 votes from constituents.
Count Binface poses for pictures at the election count for Richmond and Northallerton in North Yorkshire
Count Binface was going up against the outgoing Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, who cut a sombre figure at his own re-election
Binface wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was his ‘highest ever finish’ in an election and his ‘highest ever parliamentary vote’, saying ‘BindependenceDay has come’.
He added: ‘My highest height advantage. 2ft 6 in’ – in an apparent dig at Mr Sunak’s stature.
Among the other policies touted by the Count were to make all water bosses ‘take a dip’ in UK rivers ‘to see how they like it’, WiFi on trains ‘that works’, Wallace and Gromit to be knighted ‘for services to Wensleydale’ and 99 flakes to cost 99p.
He also pledged to represent the UK at Eurovision, make offenders ‘live with Matt Hancock for a year’ and the very specific promise to move ‘the hand dryer in the Gents’ urinals at the Crown & Treaty, Uxbridge to be moved to a more sensible position.’
And he said he would ensure Claudia Winkleman’s iconic fringe is a Grade-1 listed.
Binface has previously stood in the general election in 2019, the London Mayoral elections in 2021 and 2024 and the Uxbridge by-election in 2023.
Prior to Thursday’s count he posted a photo of himself with the caption: ‘Game time. Game Face.’
He was also seen chatting to and posing for photos with other candidates, journalists and staff.
It wasn’t just Mr Sunak who faced comical election rivals: Elmo, otherwise known as Bobby ‘Elmo’ Smith, also zeroed in on Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency seat in Holborn and St Pancras.
Binface wrote on X, formerly Twitter , that it was his ‘highest ever finish’ in an election and his ‘highest ever parliamentary vote’, saying ‘BindependenceDay has come’
While the independent candidate came in 12th place in the results, earning the least amount of votes at 19, social media users enjoyed seeing his red costume next to Sir Keir on stage during the Labour leader’s victory speech.
Although much of the public found hilarity in Binman’s presence, Rishi Sunak cut a sombre figure as he shouldered the burden for a ‘sobering verdict’ at the General Election.
Competing Tory factions are to begin their battle over the diminished party’s future in the coming hours and days.
The outgoing Prime Minister said it had been a ‘difficult night’ and apologised to Conservative candidates who had lost their seats, as he held onto his own Richmond and Northallerton constituency.
Mr Sunak’s apology was echoed by Suella Braverman, but the Tory leadership challenger was sorry for her party’s record in Government, suggesting it had not listened enough to the electorate.
Elsewhere, former justice Sir Robert Buckland warned that a lurch to the right would be ‘disastrous’ for the party after he lost his Swindon South seat.
Speaking at Northallerton leisure centre after his result came in, Mr Sunak said: ‘The British people have delivered a sobering verdict tonight, there is much to learn… and I take responsibility for the loss.
‘To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. I am sorry.’
The Prime Minister held onto his seat with a nearly 13,000 majority over his nearest rival, Labour’s Tom Wilson, but conceded defeat for the Tories amid crushing results elsewhere for the party.
Among the Cabinet ministers to lose their seats overnight were Defence Secretary Grant Shapps and Commons Leader Penny Mordaunt to Labour, and Justice Secretary Alex Chalk, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan and Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer to the Liberal Democrats.
Count Binface last stood in May’s London Mayoral election and was seen being congratulated by Sadiq Khan
Liz Truss, who during her short time in Downing Street oversaw the disastrous mini-budget that spooked markets, lost her Norfolk South West seat, which she won with a thumping 26,200 majority in 2019, to Labour.
Jeremy Hunt won the Godalming and Ash seat in Surrey despite a threat from the Liberal Democrats.
The outgoing Chancellor said the Conservatives’ ‘crushing’ defeat was a ‘bitter pill to swallow’ for the party.
On the Labour side, they party has won at least 410 MPs, taking it to a majority of more than 170.
The Lib Dems got their best-ever result with more than 71 MPs, while the Greens, SNP and Reform each grabbed a handful.
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Arise, Count Binface! How ballot box warrior who has fought general elections against PMs since 1987 was forced to change his alias from Lord Buckethead after losing legal battle with American Sci-Fi writer
By John James
Count Binface is a political giant.
The comedy character has been competing against Prime Ministers in elections since 1987, however back then he was known by a different name: Lord Buckethead.
Shrouded in an enormous black cape and sporting a huge spherical head, Lord Buckethead was politics’ version of Darth Vader – a character he was partly parodied on.
His origins stem back to American Sci-Fi writer Todd Durham’s 1984 film Hyperspace which was a send up of George Lucas’s recently released Star Wars.
Three years after the film was released, British home video director Mike Lee stood against Margaret Thatcher in her Finchley constituency dressed in the character and a legend was born.
Shrouded in an enormous black cape and sporting a huge spherical head, Lord Buckethead was politics’ version of Darth Vader (pictured in 2017)
His new form, Count Binface, stood against Rishi Sunak in the General Election
Lord Buckethead would go to contest the 1992 election before reappearing in 2017 when comedian Jon Harvey took up the helmet. resulting in a legal squabble for the ages.
After Harvey’s appearance as the dark lord interest in the parody skyrocketed which led to Durham reinstating his control of the character and taking over Harvey’s Twitter account.
Speaking to the Guardian at the time, the comedian recalled: ‘Todd said that the Twitter account I created wasn’t legal as it stood, and that to rectify it I needed to give him the password to the account. I didn’t know then – and still don’t know now – what my rights were and I couldn’t find an affordable way to find out, so eventually I acquiesced.’
Channeling his frustration, Harvey created a new character of Count Binface, an intergalactic lefty space warrior and a new chapter in British political satire was born.
Now, MailOnline breaks down the chequered history and electoral misfortunes of ‘the man who would be bin’.
1987: Lord Buckethead challenged Margaret Thatcher in the last General Election she fought
1992: Five years later, her successor John Major was also challenged by the dark lord
1987 – Toe to toe with Margaret Thatcher
In 1987, a bullish Margaret Thatcher was looking nailed on to secure a third term as Prime Minister.
With the backing of the media and promising lower taxes, Thatcher’s government were looking set to maintain their majority over Neil Kinnock’s Labour party however they didn’t bank on Buckethead.
Out of nowhere, it was announced that a man dressed in black with a large plastic receptacle on his head would contest Thatcher’s Finchley seat.
The man behind the mask, Mike Lee, was at the time the head of the independent home video label VIPCO, and saw the stunt as a golden opportunity to gain some publicity.
Among Buckethead’s pledges was an outrageous plan to demolish Birmingham and create a spaceport in its place.
Buckethead would go on to win 131 votes which wasn’t enough to unseat Thatcher who retained her position with over 20,000 votes.
1992 – Battling John Major
Four years later, Buckethead took on John Major who had deposed Margaret Thatcher and was now head of the Tories.
This time the battleground was Major’s seat in Huntingdon and although he fought hard Buckethead was unable to repeat his electoral success of five years previously.
In the count, the Lord of the bins received just 107 votes (0.1%) of the electorate.
As a result he lost his deposit and went into hiding for a number of years.
Major’s Conservative party went on to win the election albeit with a drastically reduced majority.
2017: After 25 years on the sidelines, comedian Jon Harvey decided to revive the dark Lord and ran against Theresa May in Maidenhead
Despite his clear novelty status, Buckethead put a lot of effort into his campaign, distributing 4000 leaflets throughout Maidenhead
2017 – Returning to fight Theresa May
After 25 years on the sidelines, comedian Jon Harvey decided to revive the dark Lord in 2017 and ran against Theresa May in Maidenhead during the Brexit years.
Despite his clear novelty status, Buckethead put a lot of effort into his campaign, distributing 4000 leaflets throughout Maidenhead.
In his Manifesto, he had a slew of amusing promises, including the nationalisation of Adele.
And after collecting a grand total of 249 votes in Maidenhead, Lord Buckethead even basked in international fame.
The eccentric candidate, from hyperspace, was flown over to New York City to appear on John Oliver’s HBO show ‘Last Week Tonight’.
As he lifted off on a podium, Oliver implored Theresa May to send him to Brussels.
He said: ‘Theresa May, if you are still Prime Minister by the time this show airs, I implore you, send the dark lord to Brussels.
‘Is it an absurd idea? Yes, but it would not even be close to the stupidest thing that you have ever done.’
2019: Boris Johnson’s Conservative’s secured a shock landslide victory but the two bins fared less well with Binface securing just 69 votes to Buckethead’s 125
2019 – Buckethead and Binface take on Boris Johnson
Following his 2017 revival, interest in Lord Buckethead peaked but behind the scenes trouble was brewing in the shape of a copyright dispute.
Buckethead’s creator Todd Durham announced that he was reclaiming ownership of the comedy character meaning if Harvey was to stand again a new characther had to emerge from the shadows.
And thus, Count Binface was born.
Harvey announced he would contest Boris Johnson’s constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip as Count Binface, citing ‘an unpleasant battle on the planet Copyright’ as the reason for his regeneration.
Marketing himself as an ‘independent space warrior’ and ‘Leader of the Recyclons’ – Binface would go on to campaign to bring back Ceefax, as well as fighting for ‘a cleaner, greener galaxy.’
Intriquingly, Lord Buckethead also stood at the election fighting the same seat as a representative of the Monster Raving Loony Party.
Reacting to the news, Binface said he looked forward to ‘challenging [him] to take part in a receptacle-to-receptacle debate.’
At the count however as Boris Johnson’s Conservative’s secured a shock landslide victory, the two bins fared less well with Binface securing just 69 votes to Buckethead’s 125.
2021: On polling day, it went down to the wire but Laurence Fox emerged victorious with 47, 634 votes to Binface’s 24,775
Neither candidate progressed past the first round of voting
2021 – Laurence Fox’s faltering mayoral campaign is overshadowed by Binface
Two years later in a change from previous form, Count Binface announced he would be running in the 2021 Mayoral Elections against Sadiq Khan and actor turned right wing firebrand Laurence Fox.
Running on a manifesto that pledged ‘fiscal responsibility, social awareness, and not being an anti-vaccine nutjob.’
Fox’s reclaim party meanwhile promised to end the divisive and discriminatory wokery that has infected [London]’ and pledged to celebrate London with a ‘Festival of London.’
Undeterred by his big money backed opponent, Binface unveiled a raft if counter policies including for London to rejoin the EU and for loud snacks to be banned from theaters.
On polling day, it went down to the wire but Fox emerged victorious with 47, 634 votes to Binface’s 24,775.
Neither candidate progressed past the first round of voting.
2024: Three years later, Binface again contested the London Mayoral Election, losing to Sadiq Khan
2024 – Binface gives Britain First a bloody nose
Three years later, Binface again contested the London Mayoral Election, albeit this time not against Laurence Fox who wasn’t allowed to stand due to ‘paperwork issue’.
As with 2021, Binface ran on an absurd manifesto which promised to rename London Bridge after Phoebe Waller-Bridge and force Thames Water managers to swim in the Thames.
But, despite pledging to cap the price of croissants at £1.10 and grant Grade 1 listed status to Claudia Winkleman’s fringe, Count Binface finished 13th.
The wacky political figure, who claims to be a 5,072-year-old intergalactic space warrior, won 24,260 votes (0.98%) compared to Sadiq Khan’s 1,088,225 (43.8%).
However, it appears it was not all bad for Binface who defeated Britain First candidate Nick Scanlon, who won 20,519 (0.83%) of the vote, which was nearly 4,000 less.
After discovering his victory over Mr Scanlon, he said ‘down with fascism, up with Ceefax’.
It looks like I have defeated Britain First in an election,’ he told reporters at City Hall.
‘Come on, you have to cheer about that…down with fascism, up with Ceefax, what can I say?’