Count Binface celebrates ‘fantastic’ finale to British polls showdown

CLACTON-ON-SEA, Britain – For Count Binface, the novelty candidate who came second to hard-right British politician Nigel Farage in a British by-election, things are “on the up and up”.

Wearing a towering grey helmet and visor in the shape of a rubbish bin, Binface, the alter ego of comedian Jon Harvey, challenged Farage in the coastal town of Clacton, coming second with over 9,000 votes in what he called “a moral victory”.

Speaking to AFP in the early hours before the final result, Binface was ebullient, saying: “I’m on the up and up!”.

“I think good things are coming to old Binny. Tres bien!” he said, already sure of strong support from protest voters.

The Reform UK leader triggered the vote himself by resigning his seat over an investigation into his finances, billing himself the “anti-establishment” candidate.

But since all the main parties declined to stand, Count Binface emerged as the leader of a motley list of 34 candidates, most of them independents and fringe hopefuls.

Most recently, Binface had stood in northern England against now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham, winning just 0.2 per cent of the vote.

“It’s been fantastic! I’ve loved every single moment of it. I don’t think I’m being too forward to say I think this might just be my best one yet,” he told AFP in Clacton.

“Let’s just say I get 5 per cent, I think I’m on for more ... 5 per cent, that’s a 2,500 per cent swing to Binface,” he noted.

Ultimately, he had a far stronger showing: 9,455 votes, or 27 per cent, in Farage’s Clacton constituency, even though the Reform leader boosted his own showing.

Holding gloved hands up in victory signs, the cloaked figure took centre stage at the vote count – while Farage snubbed it, telling supporters he did not want to be “demeaned and humiliated by nobodies”.

The man behind the visor, Harvey, is a writer and performer who has contributed to satirical comedy shows on the BBC. He has been a fixture on the British political scene since 2017, standing in general as well as London mayoral elections.

His Count Binface persona is part of a long British tradition of novelty candidates pricking the pomposity of rosetted politicians, which include the Official Monster Raving Loony Party founded by Screaming Lord Sutch in 1982.

‘Cherish’ democracy

Binface’s manifesto is full of silly, very British promises such as a windfall tax on cosy crime novels by celebrities and nationalising pop singer Adele, as well as more serious ones such as forcing oil and gas companies to give everyone solar panels.

His promises in Clacton poked fun at Farage’s diverse eyebrow-raising activities and the questions over large financial gifts he has received, as Binface pledged to “spend more time in Clacton-on-Sea than Washington” and not to “accept £5 million (S$8.6 million) gifts from crypo billionaires”.

Farage retaliated by branding Binface the “establishment candidate”.

Binface, who calls himself an “intergalactic space warrior” from planet Sigma IX told AFP that with major parties absent, “somebody has to stand up and be the opposition”.

Many countries “don’t even have the ability to talk like we’re doing right now, let alone stand for election,” he said

So the democratic right to stand for election “needs cherishing, celebrating. If it can be done with a bit of a smile, so much the better,” he added.

In a “victory speech” video on X, he noted that “I am the winning candidate – of the candidates who bothered to turn up”.

And after already revealing in an earlier podcast interview that he can speak ancient Greek, he told AFP in French that he “loves croissants and chocolate croissants” giving directions in French to the best bakery in Paris. AFP