Count Binface makes election broadcast from ‘edge of space’ ahead of Clacton vote

Craig Munro | Senior Politics Reporter Published August 10, 2026 1:24pm Updated August 10, 2026 1:25pm Count Binface crossed the final frontier for his latest election stunt (Picture: Count Binface) Nigel Farage’s top opponent in the Clacton by-election Count Binface has kicked off the week of the vote with a very on-b

Binface, who has run against prime ministers past and present, was the first to throw his bucket in the ring when Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage abruptly quit Parliament.

The by-election has a record number of candidates standing despite being called just a few weeks ago

Highlights from the election platforms of perennial British joke candidate Count Binface  Toronto Star

Count Binface, a comic candidate known for wearing a garbage can on his head, is making waves in a British special election

Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can on his head.

A comedian dressed as a trash can is vying for Nigel Farage's seat in Parliament. Count Binface is Oxford-educated Jon Harvey, whose costumed character has become a fixture in U.K. politics.

Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can on his head.

Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in Britain's wackiest election  AP News

Discrepancies have been found between final voter figures and on-site tallies from the June 3 local elections, data acquired by a lawmaker showed Monday, amid a widening probe into irregularities surrounding the elections. The discrepancies were found in 1,971 neighborhoods out of the total 3,558 across the nation for

The prospect of the Reform UK leader being humiliated by Count Binface, a candidate with an eye for black capes and silver headgear, generated global headlines for the way it brought classic farce to British politics.

EXCLUSIVE: The Countdown legend, who labelled the Reform leader ‘awful’ and said she is a ‘big fan’ of PM Andy Burnham, also did not rule out going into politics herself

EXCLUSIVE: Experts say Nigel Farage's plan to avoid a probe into his personal finances has 'backfired' as the by-election, in which he's up against Count Binface, has become a 'joke'

It is not known who piloted the plane, which spent around half an hour drawing the flight path on Saturday

The Tories are not standing in next week's election, triggered by Nigel Farage's resignation.