UK right-wing populist leader Nigel Farage won Friday’s by-election in Clacton, regaining the parliamentary seat he resigned a month earlier to trigger the vote.
He took about 63% of the vote, while his main challenger, comedian Jon Harvey running as trash-can-costumed “Count Binface,” secured roughly 27% — his best result yet in eight election attempts. The turnout was 44%.
What triggered the Clacton by-election?
Reform UK’s Farage called the special election to prove his voter support amid a parliamentary investigation into an undeclared £5 million ($6.75 million, €5.85 million) gift from Thailand-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Britain’s major parties boycotted the race, calling it a self-serving stunt. This left Farage facing 33 mostly independent and novelty candidates.
Farage skipped the official vote count, saying police warned him of an “organized campaign to disrupt” the result. Essex police disputed reports of a credible threat but said a “proportionate and robust” security operation was in place. He also canceled a planned victory speech.
Count Binface’s policies included capping the price of ice cream cones and conscripting anyone using their phone on speaker mode while on public transportImage: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/dpa/picture alliance
“I am damned if I am going to stand on a stage, having won a resounding victory… and be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies,” he told supporters.
What happens next?
The win doesn’t resolve Farage’s political troubles. The parliamentary standards investigation, paused when he resigned, is expected to resume and could still force him from his seat. Farage says the money was a personal gift he wasn’t required to declare.
Last month, a Survation poll put Farage’s share of the vote at 73%, a figure he fell short of. It comes as Reform UK’s national polling is also slipping behind a resurgent Labour Party under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Who is Count Binface?
Count Binface is the alter ego of Harvey, a British comedian, writer and producer who uses the character to satirize UK politics.
He is a self-styled “intergalactic space warrior” who campaigns wearing a trash bin on his head. While he was expected to receive a large share of the vote, the figure was not expected to exceed 20 percent.
Binface has become somewhat of a serial candidate, challenging prime ministers past and present in line with a long tradition of novelty candidates in UK politics.
The satirical political character has challenged numerous UK prime ministers in past campaigns Image: Toby Melville/REUTERS
With the other parties boycotting the election, he became Farage’s default rival with a comical platform vowing to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s,” build one affordable home and nationalize singer Adele.
“The moral victory is already mine,” Harvey, aka Binface, told the AFP news agency at the counting center ahead of the final count.
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