Count Binface, the self-described intergalactic space warrior who wears a black rubbish bin on his head, is campaigning in the Clacton-on-Sea by-election Thursday after the major British parties declined to field candidates against Nigel Farage.
The Reform UK leader triggered the vote by resigning his seat and immediately seeking re-election, framing the move as a way to clear his name over undeclared gifts that are the subject of a parliamentary investigation. When the Conservative Party, Labour Party and Liberal Democrats denounced the exercise as a stunt and boycotted the contest, the field of 35 candidates was left dominated by fringe and novelty contenders.
The man behind the mask
Under the cape and body armour is Jon Harvey, a married father of two who studied classics at Oxford and has written for political comedies including The Thick of It and Have I Got News for You. He first ran as Lord Buckethead against Theresa May in 2017, then rebranded as Binface after a copyright dispute over the Buckethead character. He has since contested elections against Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak and London mayor Sadiq Khan.
Harvey never breaks character during interviews. Asked by a BBC host about his identity, he referenced Return of the Jedi: "Nobody wants to know what's under the recycling. It's absolutely putrefying."
A platform of absurdity and pointed satire
Binface's manifesto, credited to his home planet's "Recyclons," mixes the deliberately ridiculous with barbed jabs at Farage. He promises to cut taxes for the voter while raising everyone else's, build a single affordable home, and nationalize the singer Adele. A hyper-local pledge would relocate the hand dryer in the men's washroom at the Crown & Treaty pub in Uxbridge to prevent "another human blasting your bits with insanely hot air."
More pointedly, he vows not to accept "5-million-pound gifts from crypto billionaires (on Earth)", a reference to the undeclared hospitality that sparked the investigation into Farage. He would also bar MPs who resign mid-term from running in the resulting by-election and promises to spend more time in Clacton than in Washington, a dig at Farage's frequent trips to the United States and his alliance with Donald Trump.
Asked about Trump, Binface said: "He's awful." He would instead pursue a "galactic union" between Britain and the United States.
Harvey concedes he does not expect to win. If he did, House of Commons rules would require him to remove the bin, though he says some MPs have discussed an exception. "You might think they should be trying to fix the British economy, healthcare system and infrastructure first," he said.
The ballot also includes three candidates from the Monster Raving Loony Party, among them Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap, part of a British tradition that allows almost any adult citizen to stand for Parliament regardless of residence.
Based on reporting by Global News.