Nigel Farage Faces Count Binface in UK By-Election

By Audrey Courty

Topic: World Politics

Count Binface is Nigel Farage's main rival in the Clacton by-election.

The UK is watching the Clacton by-election, which is one of the strangest in recent British history.

Nigel Farage, the Brexit architect, is running against an 'intergalactic space warrior' and 31 other unusual candidates.

Farage is seeking to return to parliament after quitting his seat in July due to scrutiny of his personal finances.

Count Binface, a comedian in a bin-shaped helmet, promises cheaper bus fares and 99-pence ice creams.

Comedian Jonathan David Harvey is legally standing for election under the name Count Binface.

A recent poll suggests Count Binface could win 20 per cent of the vote, which could hurt Farage's chances.

Count Binface has warned not to underestimate the power of the bin.

Nigel Farage is facing various candidates, including Count Binface, in the by-election.

The Clacton by-election is happening, and here's what you need to know.

When is the Clacton by-election?

Clacton voters will go to the polls on Thursday, August 13.

Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm, local time.

The winner will become the MP for the Essex seaside electorate of Clacton.

The electorate of Clacton is named after the seaside town of Clacton-on-Sea.

What triggered the by-election?

Nigel Farage triggered the by-election when he quit as the MP for Clacton on July 7.

Farage's resignation followed a parliamentary investigation into his finances.

The probe has been paused during the by-election but will resume if Farage is re-elected.

Nigel Farage has denied wrongdoing and framed his decision to recontest the seat as a chance for voters to decide.

Farage has cast the contest as a battle between 'the people' and the establishment.

Britain's major parties have decided not to field candidates, describing the contest as a 'political stunt'.

The ballot paper has a record-breaking 34 candidates, including Nigel Farage and Count Binface.

The previous record for a UK parliamentary election was 26 candidates.

A mock-up of the unusually long Clacton by-election ballot paper is available.

Who is standing in the election?

Nigel Farage is standing for Reform UK as the only mainstream party candidate.

Farage took the seat in 2024 with 46 per cent of the vote.

Awareness of the controversy that triggered the by-election is high, but Clacton voters are divided.

According to a recent poll, 35 per cent say Farage acted within the rules, while 25 per cent say he acted wrongfully.

Then there is Count Binface, standing for the Count Binface Party.

Behind the bin helmet is comedian Jonathan David Harvey, who is legally standing for election.

Count Binface is offering Clacton voters a surprisingly extensive platform.

A recent poll shows Count Binface could take 20 per cent of the vote.

His manifesto promises to cap bus fares and the price of 99 Flake ice creams.

He also wants oil and gas companies to pay for solar panels for everyone.

Plus, one pledge states: 'I will not accept 5 million-pound gifts from crypto billionaires'.

Three candidates from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party are standing.

Then there are the 32 other candidates, who range from conventional independents to fringe parties.

Among them are three candidates from the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.

The satirical group is running on a series of deliberately nonsensical policies.

It pledges to 'replace all red tape with Sellotape' and give every voter the chance to be prime minister.

There is also former actor and right-wing Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox.

Melbourne-born Daniel Pocock is a software engineer standing in the election.

According to his website, Pocock is a software engineer who moved to Europe after graduating.

Pocock said the prospect of 'novelty candidates' motivated him to nominate himself as a candidate.

If the Essex Lion was to appear on the ballot paper, I suspect it would have an equally good chance of winning.

Some of the other candidates have names that sound like they were generated by a chaotic political-name generator.

Polling shows Nigel Farage remains the clear favourite to win the by-election.

But despite the crowded field, the election is widely considered to be a two-horse race between Farage and Count Binface.

The Survation poll put Farage well ahead at 73 per cent of the vote, but gave Count Binface an unexpectedly strong 20 per cent.

The space warrior has lost every election he has contested, with his best parliamentary result being 308.

When the ABC recently asked Farage whether he was confident he could beat Count Binface, he laughed and said: 'I should hope so'.

What if Binface actually wins?

If Count Binface achieves the seemingly impossible, he will actually become an MP.

There is no novelty-candidate exemption in Britain's electoral system.

If he wins the most votes, the man behind the bin helmet becomes the member for Clacton.

There is, however, one small problem.

Binface's costume is unlikely to pass parliament's dress rules.

Nigel Farage is facing intensifying scrutiny over his finances and millions of dollars' worth of donations.

MPs are expected to wear business-like attire, and parliamentary guidance says members should not have their faces covered.

So the sight of an intergalactic warrior in a bin helmet taking his seat in the House of Commons is probably not on the cards.

He would have to enter parliament as the comedian Jonathan Harvey — at least if he wants to follow the rules.

Still, if he did win, the costume might be the least remarkable part of the story.

Farage would lose the seat he deliberately vacated, while Count Binface would go from political satirist to elected legislator.

That would make this very strange by-election even stranger.

See more ABC coverage in your search results

Luyện nghe