Count Binface: The Novelty Candidate Taking UK Politics by Storm

Count Binface, a comedic candidate who performs with a garbage can on his head, intends to run in the upcoming Clacton by-election following the announcement that Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will vacate the constituency. According to the BBC, Binface is one of the few individuals who has declared an intent to contest the seat after the Labour, Conservative, and Liberal Democrat parties all stated they would not field candidates.

The candidate, whose real name is Jonathan Harvey, announced his intent to enter the race via a social media post stating, Game on, Nige.

Count Binface’s Policy Platform and Candidacy

During an appearance on the BBC’s Today programme, Harvey outlined a series of satirical policy goals. When asked about his platform, Binface told the BBC he wants to Get at least one affordable house, nationalising Adele and bring back Ceefax.

The candidate describes himself as an Oxford-educated comic and the leader of the Recyclones of Sigma IX, according to reporting from The New World. While he is characterized as an intergalactic space warrior, The New World notes he is unlikely to win the seat.

Despite the low probability of victory, betting markets have placed him at 5/1, according to The New World. He is viewed as likely to secure the 5% of the vote necessary to retain his £500 deposit. This would mark his best-ever result, as in a previous contest in Makerfield against Andy Burnham, he received 95 votes, The New World reports.

Novelty Candidates in the Clacton By-Election

Binface is not the only unconventional candidate considering the race. The New World identifies “Mr Fishfinger,” a Doncaster engineer who previously changed his legal name and dressed as a breaded fish product during a 2017 contest in Westmorland & Lonsdale, as another potential participant.

Other movements in the candidate pool include Robert Pownall, the founder of Protect the Wild, who has withdrawn from the Clacton race. The New World also notes the presence of Laurence, an actor standing for Reclaim, whom the outlet characterizes as a novelty candidate.

History of British Novelty Election Candidates

The presence of comedic candidates in UK elections follows a long-standing tradition. The New World traces this trend back to Bill Boaks, a former naval officer who campaigned in 28 post-war elections using an armoured bicycle to promote road safety.

In 1963, musician David Sutch contested a by-election via his National Teenage Party, arguing that 18-year-olds should have the right to vote if those over 21 were untrustworthy. Sutch later founded the Official Monster Raving Loony Party and stood for parliament a record 39 times between 1963 and 1997, according to The New World.

Other notable examples of novelty candidates include:

• Auberon Waugh, who ran for the Dog Lovers’ Party in North Devon in 1979 with the slogan A better deal for your dog, according to The New World.
• Richard Huggett, who ran for the Literal Democrats in Devon in 1994, which The New World reports helped the Tories take a previously LibDem seat.
• Douglas Parkin, who changed his name to Roy Harold Jenkins to contest the 1982 Glasgow Hillhead by-election, according to The New World.
• Catherine Taylor-Dawson, who ran in four Cardiff constituencies in 2005 under the Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket, according to The New World.
• Stuart Drummond, who ran as Hartlepool FC mascot H’Angus the Monkey in 2002 and served three terms as the town’s only elected mayor, according to The New World.

The New World notes that other figures who have attempted to enter parliament include Mr Blobby in 1994, Al Murray’s pub landlord in 2015, and the Sesame Street character Elmo.