{"id":681289,"date":"2026-07-08T23:45:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/681289\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T23:45:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:45:08","slug":"count-binface-on-clacton-byelection-i-didnt-know-old-farage-was-going-to-self-detonate-nigel-farage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/681289\/","title":{"rendered":"Count Binface on Clacton byelection: \u2018I didn\u2019t know old Farage was going to self-detonate\u2019 | Nigel Farage"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Instead, Britain\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>. The Clacton byelection is now likely to be a two-man race between the Reform leader and Binface.<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know old Farage was going to self detonate \u2026 did I?\u201d said Binface, a veteran of British elections, where the parody candidate is something of a mainstay<\/a>.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.<\/p>\n

Binface next to Labour\u2019s Andy Burnham and a Protect British Wildlife candidate at the count for last month\u2019s Makerfield byelection. Photograph: Jon Super\/AP<\/p>\n

Farage has sought to portray the byelection as a \u201cpeople versus the establishment\u201d contest, prompting Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, to describe Binface as the \u201cpeople\u2019s candidate\u201d. The prime minister, Keir Starmer, even addressed his candidacy on the sidelines of the Nato summit. \u201cI think it\u2019s actually against Labour party rules to endorse another [candidate],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

For the man himself, or rather the alien, it\u2019s all come as a bit of a shock. The question of whether he might even win is one that he is reluctant to countenance. \u201cIt\u2019s 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,\u201d he told the Guardian.<\/p>\n

H\u2019Angus in 2003. Photograph: David Davies\/PA<\/p>\n

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\u2019s mascot, H\u2019Angus the Monkey, was elected as mayor of the northern English town<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want them to go marching around for me. I don\u2019t know even if I\u2019ll get any votes,\u201d Binface said. \u201cPerhaps it\u2019s all a fever dream which we\u2019re living in after England\u2019s World Cup match against Mexico and we have all yet to wake up from it<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, his candidacy has massively boosted interest in a live show Binface is due to perform on Thursday at London\u2019s Museum of Comedy. The event is sold out and plans are being made for alternative dates amid a surge in interest in the Harvey\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Binface admitted to knowing little about Clacton but was pleased by what he had recently learned. \u201cI have heard it\u2019s 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\u2019ve also heard that the people are not necessarily all as Brexity \u2026 so there you go.\u201d The area of Essex where Clacton is located recorded one of the highest votes to leave the EU in 2016.<\/p>\n

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. \u201cWhen you think about it, you can see why I might court the immigrant vote in fact. I\u2019m the ultimate alien, though I should stress, not an illegal one,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Binface describes himself as an \u2018entirely independent space warrior\u2019. Photograph: James Veysey\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Farage is the favourite, but odds on Binface winning have been tumbling. Oddschecker, which provides betting odds from some of the UK\u2019s most popular bookmakers, said odds on the underdog winning had been slashed from 5\/1 into 7\/2.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell we\u2019ll see about that. If Black Rod<\/a> fits in the standing orders, why can\u2019t I?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnlike some politicians with their \u00a35m war chests (and ITV detective series back catalogues), I\u2019m an entirely independent space warrior. I donated all profits from my London mayor campaign to charity, but I\u2019d love to be able to keep fighting the intergalactic fight,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

The page has received more than 5,000 donations since it was launched on Tuesday, raising more than \u00a315,000 so far.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Count Binface had been looking forward to a relaxing journey back to his home planet of Sigma IX…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":681290,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[59,57,58,50,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-681289","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-kingdom","tag-gb","tag-great-britain","tag-greatbritain","tag-news","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681289","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681289"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681289\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/681290"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681289"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681289"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681289"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}