After Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats said they will not stand candidates, Mr Farage’s only confirmed challenger is the satirical candidate Count Binface
Nigel Farage’s attempt to fight a “people versus the establishment” by-election is in tatters after the main parties decided not to field candidates.
The Reform UK leader said he would quit as an MP on Tuesday as he came under further scrutiny over his finances, saying that the voters in Clacton “should be the judges of my actions”.
However after Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain all said they will not stand candidates, Mr Farage’s only confirmed challenger is the satirical candidate Count Binface.
The Mirror takes a look at the man behind the bin, and what his vision is for Clacton.
Who is Count Binface?
Jonathan David Harvey is a British comedian, satirist and producer, who worked on hits like The Thick of It and Have I Got News For You.
In his mid-40s, has two children aged four and eight months, with his wife Sarah, and wrote earlier this year about sleeping in his living room to allow his wife and baby a peaceful night sleep.
A passionate Spurs fan, his 2023 book “A Fan for All Seasons: A Journey Through Life”, about the loss of his older brother, and their connection through sport.
He also wrote and presented series on the ancient world including Could An Ancient Athenian Fix Britain? and Happy 2500th to the Brave 300 for BBC Radio 4. In 2020, he debated the former at Cambridge University.
What has Count Binface done before?
The seasoned “space warrior” first ran against Theresa May in Maidenhead during the 2017 general election as a different character, Lord Buckethead.
After a copyright dispute over the Buckethead name, Lord Binface emerged who challenged Boris Johnson in 2019 and ran against Rishi Sunak in 2024.
He has also made two bids for London Mayor, losing twice. Despite this, he still managed more votes in 2021 than far-right candidate and former actor Laurence Fox.
Count Binface also ran in the Makerfield by-election, winning 95 votes. He shook Andy Burnham’s hand at the count, in a meeting of two political giants.
Where does Count Binface say he’s from?
Count Binface describes himself as an “intergalactic space warrior”, and the leader of the Recyclons from the planet Sigma IX. He claims to be over 5,900 years old, but this has not been verified.
What are Count Binface’s policies?
Count Binface has an extensive list of policies, and ran in the Greater Manchester area on a “Makerfield Great Again” platform, in a reference to Donald Trump ’s slogan.
His policies included all 99 Flake ice-creams to cost no more than 99p and Wigan Kebabs to be price-capped at £2.
He vowed to rephase the traffic lights on Liverpool Road to ease congestion, that corners would be refereed properly in football, and that people who use speakerphones on public transport will conscripted.
Count Binface promised wifi on trains that works, trains that work, and for pensions to be double-locked, with an “extra little chain on the side”.
Under his rule, cyclists who break the highway code would be forced to ride unicycles instead, and auto-renew on all online subscriptions to be abolished immediately. He has also pledged to bring back Ceefax, and nationalise Adele.
There is also a return for his long-standing pledge for the hand-dryer in the gents’ toilet at the Crown & Treaty pub, Uxbridge to be moved to a more sensible position.
What has Count Binface said about the vote?
Asked by BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme if he thought he could win the by-election, Count Binface said: “Probably not, but then you know my job is to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy.
“And look at this, eh? The fact that you are interviewing me on the Today Programme, because all the other parties aren’t standing, says more about them than it does about me.
“Are they running scared from old Binny, or do they think that Nigel’s running a cunning stunt? And I pronounced that carefully at 8.55 in the morning.”