London: British right-wing leader Nigel Farage clearly wanted his rivals to stand against him when he took the unusual decision to resign from parliament and go to a byelection so he could seek a mandate from the people on his future.
So far, the biggest rival to emerge is a man wearing a rubbish bin as a comedy costume.
Count Binface, a character created to poke fun at British politics, is now the leading candidate to challenge the Reform UK leader at the coming byelection in the regional seat of Clacton, north-east of London.
Labour and the Conservative Party have mocked Farage for calling a byelection and chosen not to stand candidates against him, dismissing the race as a farce. The biggest threat to Farage on the far right, Restore Britain and its leader, Rupert Lowe, have done the same.
Count Binface saw his chance. “I am Binevitable,” he posted on social media.
A serious dispute has shaped the sudden political move. Farage is the subject of a formal review by the parliamentary commissioner for standards into a £5 million ($9.7 million) gift he received from wealthy investor Christopher Harborne, who is based in Thailand.
A second formal inquiry is being considered into assistance Farage received from crypto millionaire George Cottrell, an aristocrat known as “Posh George” and a long-time supporter of Reform.
By quitting parliament, Farage stalls those inquiries – but they can be resumed by the commissioner when and if the Reform leader returns as the member for Clacton in the House of Commons. And if the inquiries lead to formal findings against him, he could be forced to face a byelection again.
This means there could be two byelections in Clacton this year – and Labour and the Conservative Party want to focus on the next battle.
“If it’s ‘the people versus the establishment’, I think Nigel Farage might be looking like the establishment, and Count Binface may be the people,” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch told Sky News.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves, who has an official role in overseeing MP resignations, did not try to delay the Reform leader’s move.
“It is a farce and a desperate distraction, and the people of Clacton deserve better,” she said. “But if he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him.”
So who is underneath the bin lid?
Count Binface is reported to be Jon Harvey, a comedian who has run in several election races against high-profile candidates.
Britain’s Telegraph describes Harvey as a married father of two who has worked as a scriptwriter after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in classics. His work has included writing for comedy shows Have I Got News for You and The Thick of It, a satire set in Westminster.
Speaking to BBC Radio on Wednesday morning (London time), Binface said his policies included nationalising the singer Adele and building “at least one” affordable home.
Asked what his appeal would be to the voters of Clacton, he said: “Well, I’m not Nigel Farage.”
But Reform supporters are mobilising on social media to take out the rubbish bin, describing him as an Oxford-educated elitist who works for the BBC – even though he does not.
The comic twist in the Farage drama has enlivened media coverage of British politics and led to Binface being invited onto prestigious current affairs programs such as Newsnight on the BBC, while commentators wondered aloud about a wave of votes for the unlikely challenger.
Farage, however, won 46.2 per cent of the vote in Clacton at the last election and has real support in a community that voted strongly for Brexit, which he championed a decade ago.
Binface, on the other hand, won only 95 votes when he ran against Labour’s Andy Burnham in last month’s Makerfield byelection, which cleared the way for Burnham to replace Prime Minister Keir Starmer as soon as next week.
On Wednesday, Burnham posted a photograph of his meeting with his rival candidate when the votes were declared. “Always worth knowing when bin day is,” he wrote.
Binface gained only 249 votes when he ran against former prime minister Theresa May in 2017 (when he called himself Lord Buckethead) and 69 votes when he ran against former prime minister Boris Johnson in 2019.
While byelections can create opportunities for strong local candidates to run as independents, none have emerged so far to challenge Farage in Clacton.
All eyes will be on whether Farage suffers a swing against him for causing a byelection many see as unnecessary. Farage has moved to avoid a backlash over the cost by offering to pay for it. If he receives less than 46.2 per cent, he will be open to claims that his “mandate” has been weakened by the donation furore.
The most likely outcome is that voters do not bother to turn up. Only 58.8 per cent of enrolled voters cast ballots in Makerfield last month. Turnout was only 46.1 per cent at the byelection to choose a replacement for Johnson when he stepped down as prime minister in 2023.
Voting is not compulsory in Britain. Nobody will be fined for watching the football instead.
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.