Count Binface, the garbage-can-wearing joke candidate with a long political trail behind him, has moved to the center of Britain’s latest special election in Clacton-on-Sea. The contest, set for Thursday in southeastern England, drew attention well before voters arrived at the polls because of the large field of candidates and the spectacle around Reform UK leader Nigel Farage’s resignation and bid to return to Parliament.
Binface, who describes himself as an intergalactic space warrior, was quick to jump into the race after Farage stepped aside and said he would seek reelection to clear up financial allegations. He responded with a blunt challenge, casting the fight as one between an outsider and the political establishment. With the main parties refusing to treat Farage’s maneuver as a normal contest and boycotting the election, Binface suddenly became the most visible challenger by default.
He has leaned hard into the attention. In interviews with outlets from Japan, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany, Binface said he was “the only fresh thing on the menu” and argued that voters were tired of familiar politicians. The candidate, whose black cape and rubbish-bin headpiece have become his trademark, keeps his act in character and answers questions with mock seriousness. When a BBC host asked what was underneath the costume, he compared the question to a scene from Return of the Jedi and said no one wanted to know what was under the recycling.
Behind the character is Jon Harvey, a married father of two who grew up in London and studied classics at Oxford. Harvey has worked as a television writer on the political comedy The Thick of It and the news quiz Have I Got News for You. He has also written a sports memoir following his brother’s death and a Binface memoir titled What on Earth? An Alien’s Guide to Fixing Britain. His joke candidacy has become a recurring feature of British elections, and his earlier run as Lord Buckethead helped bring him wider fame before that persona ran into copyright trouble.
Britain’s electoral system leaves room for oddballs as well as serious contenders. On the Clacton ballot, there are nearly three dozen candidates, including members of the Monster Raving Loony Party such as Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap. Binface’s own campaign blends absurdity with local grievances and policy promises, from moving a hand dryer in a pub restroom to nationalizing Adele and setting price caps for croissants. He also says he would cut taxes for voters while raising them for everyone else.
