Clacton byelection likely to be two-man race between Reform leader and Binface

‘Perhaps it’s all a fever dream,’ suggests parody candidate, expected to be Reform leader’s only challenger for seat

Count Binface had been looking forward to a relaxing journey back to his home planet of Sigma IX when Nigel Farage dropped a political bombshell on Tuesday.

Instead, Britain’s hottest new political property said he was left with no choice but to perform a swift intergalactic handbrake turn when news broke that Farage had resigned as MP for Clacton, triggering the possibility of a byelection in the English coastal constituency he has represented since 2024.

Farage, the leader of the rightwing populist Reform UK party, has been accused of using the poll to shake off a deepening scandal over financial gifts he has received. But the plan appears to have backfired after his main rivals announced they would boycott the byelection . The Clacton byelection is now likely to be a two-man race between the Reform leader and Binface.

“I didn’t know old Farage was going to self detonate … did I?” said Binface, a veteran of British elections, where the parody candidate is something of a mainstay .The 5,900-year-old leader of the Recyclons is the creation of Jon Harvey, a comedian from Lewisham in south-east London, who has run against former prime ministers including Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, as well as Theresa May in his previous incarnation as Lord Buckethead.

Farage has sought to portray the byelection as a “people versus the establishment” contest, prompting Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, to describe Binface as the “people’s candidate”. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, even addressed his candidacy on the sidelines of the Nato summit. “I think it’s actually against Labour party rules to endorse another [candidate],” he said.

For the man himself, or rather the alien, it’s all come as a bit of a shock. The question of whether he might even win is one that he is reluctant to countenance. “It’s earliest days yet and there is a long old road to go, but if in the unlikely event that the humans of Clacton prefer me to old Nige, then I will do my very best to represent them,” he told the Guardian.

He said that he had been inundated over the past 48 hours with emails and messages from Binface activists offering to knock on doors and deliver leaflets on his behalf in what could yet emerge as an electoral shock on a par with when Hartlepool United’s mascot, H’Angus the Monkey, was elected as mayor of the northern English town .

“I don’t want them to go marching around for me. I don’t know even if I’ll get any votes,” Binface said. “Perhaps it’s all a fever dream which we’re living in after England’s World Cup match against Mexico and we have all yet to wake up from it .”

In the meantime, his candidacy has massively boosted interest in a live show Binface is due to perform on Thursday at London’s Museum of Comedy. The event is sold out and plans are being made for alternative dates amid a surge in interest in the Harvey’s work.

Binface admitted to knowing little about Clacton but was pleased by what he had recently learned. “I have heard it’s on the sea and I have heard it has got a pier. In fact I was about to abolish it but then someone pointed out that it is a pier, not a peer. And I’ve also heard that the people are not necessarily all as Brexity … so there you go.” The area of Essex where Clacton is located recorded one of the highest votes to leave the EU in 2016.

Binface hopes to appeal to disillusioned Reform voters and others who would have voted for Labour, the Conservatives or other parties had they been given a chance. “When you think about it, you can see why I might court the immigrant vote in fact. I’m the ultimate alien, though I should stress, not an illegal one,” he added.

It is not the first time that the public has rallied behind Binface in a fight against a divisive rightwing figure. He earned plaudits for winning more votes than the far-right Britain First candidate in the 2024 London mayoral election, although on that occasion he still failed to get enough support to retain his electoral deposit, the fee British candidates have to pay when they stand for election.

Farage is the favourite, but odds on Binface winning have been tumbling. Oddschecker, which provides betting odds from some of the UK’s most popular bookmakers, said odds on the underdog winning had been slashed from 5/1 into 7/2.

But what might Binface do if he actually wins? Under the standing orders of Westminster, he would have to remove his Bin in order to enter and sit in the House of Commons chamber. But he was quick to cite the often unusual garb donned by other figures who play an integral role in parliament, including holders of offices who regularly parade in black breeches and other costumes.

“Well we’ll see about that. If Black Rod fits in the standing orders, why can’t I?” he said.

In a sign that he is at least treating the campaign with some seriousness, the count has launched a Ko-Fi donation page, asking people to donate. “Unlike some politicians with their £5m war chests (and ITV detective series back catalogues), I’m an entirely independent space warrior. I donated all profits from my London mayor campaign to charity, but I’d love to be able to keep fighting the intergalactic fight,” he wrote. The page has received more than 5,000 donations since it was launched on Tuesday, raising more than £15,000 so far.