Voters in the English constituency of Clacton cast ballots on Thursday in a by-election triggered by Nigel Farage’s own resignation from parliament. The Reform UK leader is standing again, against a field that includes the comic character Count Binface.
DR reports that polling took place in Clacton, in southeast England, on August 13, with the result expected on Friday morning. If Farage loses the seat, he is out of the House of Commons.
According to DR, Farage stepped down after a scandal involving a transfer of five million pounds, about 43.7 million kroner, from a cryptocurrency billionaire based in Thailand. Under British rules, a resignation does not hand the seat to a substitute. It instead forces a by-election in the constituency.
A total of 34 candidates are standing, DR reports, and neither the Conservatives nor Labour is fielding a candidate. Also on the ballot are Baron von Thunderclap and Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party. BBC coverage highlighted the unusually large field and described Farage as the likely frontrunner despite the protest-style challenge.
Politico reported that Farage has spent 100,000 pounds, roughly 874,000 kroner, on the campaign, and has presented himself as a local figure in Clacton. Reuters focused on the political stakes of Farage trying to win back a seat he gave up himself.
The candidate with a bin on his head
Speaking on DR’s radio program P1 Morgen, author and former Britain correspondent Lone Theils said Farage framed the contest as a test of whether voters in Clacton still consider him a worthy representative. She assessed his chances of winning as reasonably good. She also said Count Binface could take up to 20 percent of the vote.
Count Binface presents himself as an intergalactic space warrior aged 5,000 years. According to DR, his manifesto for the by-election was published on X. Pledges include lowering the voter’s taxes while raising everyone else’s, building at least one cheap home, and holding a referendum on restoring Pluto as a planet.
One pledge is aimed directly at Farage. DR reports that Count Binface wants to make it illegal for members of parliament to resign and then stand in the resulting by-election. Theils added that the character has also promised to repair Clacton’s potholes by filling them with Labour’s 2024 election manifesto.
The figure is played by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, who has contested British elections since 2017, first as Buckethead and since 2019 as Count Binface, DR reports.
Not every candidate stayed in the race. Environmental activist Robert Pownall, who stood dressed as a fox to give British wildlife a voice, withdrew once it was clear the established parties would not challenge Farage. Per DR, he called the by-election a circus and a farce, saying his message would not be taken seriously.
