Count Binface has taken on three PMs and lost - but could this be his best ever performance?

2 hours ago

Jennifer McKiernanPolitical reporter

News image — Count Binface is standing against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election

Getty Images A man with a bin on his head poses triumphantly outside a giant glass window. The bin is silver with a slit cut out for his eyes and a square hold for his mouth. He also wears black gloves, a black breastplate, knee and elbow guards, and a long silver cape. — Count Binface is standing against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election

Count Binface, the self-styled intergalactic space warrior, has again taken centre stage in UK politics, wearing a giant silver rubbish bin on his head.

The much-photographed election veteran is the main rival to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in an election race caused by Farage resigning, only to run again - which sparked a mass boycott by the other main UK parties.

With counting getting under way in Clacton, on the Essex coast, Binface is set to get his highest share of the vote yet, having lost to no fewer than three prime ministers, and one soon-to-be prime minister, in previous attempts.

But how many votes has he previously received? And where does he fit into the British tradition of spoofing politicians?

2017: May the force be with you

Getty Images A row of candidates can be seen on stage at the election count. Theresa May is on the far left of at least nine candidates on stage. She wears a bright red skirt suit and matching high heels, with her grey hair in a neat bob. She has her hands clasped on front of her and is smiling wryly. Lord Buckethead is on the far left of the row of candidates and is doing a dab. He wears a large black bucket on his head, with black armour and a black cape with a sliver lining. — Theresa May (far left) keeps her distance from Lord Buckethead at her election count

The man inside the bin is the comedian Jon Harvey, an Oxford graduate who has specialised in satire, writing scripts for BBC comedy shows The Thick of It and Have I Got News For You.

He first donned a bin on his head to stand for election in 2017, when he challenged the then Prime Minister Theresa May in her Maidenhead constituency, although back then he was known as Lord Buckethead, a character inspired by a Star Wars parody film.

He won 249 votes and viral fame, leading to an appearance on John Oliver's HBO show Last Week Tonight - as well as a legal dispute with another Lord Buckethead he described at the time as "an unpleasant battle on the planet Copyright".

2019: The bin takes on Boris Johnson

Getty Images Boris Johnson is in the centre of the photo, wearing a black suit with a pale blue shirt and a red spotted tie. Behind him to the right is Count Binface, wearing a large silver bin on his head and a silver cape. On his right is a man dressed as the fuzzy red Sesame Street character Elmo. — Binface gets in the picture as Boris Johnson is re-elected as MP for Uxbridge

Harvey found himself a different bin to cover his head and switched characters to Count Binface to take on the next Conservative leader, Boris Johnson, announcing himself as the leader of the Recyclons from planet Sigma IX.

He only won 69 votes, but was again able to take his place on stage as the election result was declared alongside a sitting prime minister, who was also flanked by a candidate dressed as the Sesame Street character Elmo, at his Uxbridge election count.

2024: Sunak takes out the trash

Getty Images Rishi Sunak is standing on stage in front of a bright purple backdrop with the slogan visit North Yorkshire. He is on the left of the photograph, giving a speech at a podium, with other candidates lined up to his right. Count Binface is standing on the right of the stage in his costume. — Binface had competition from a Monster Raving Loony ventriloquist at Rishi Sunak's count

A third Conservative leader, Rishi Sunak, was in Count Binface's sights in the 2024 general election campaign.

He got 308 votes, which at the time was his best result.

The Monster Raving Loony Party's candidate, Sir Archibald Stanton, received 99 votes - 0.2% of the vote share.

2026: Burnham courts the Count

Getty Images Burnham is in the centre of the photograph, wearing a black suit over a black t-shirt, and shaking hands with Count Binface on his left. To his right is a man dressed as a fox, holding a placard reading Protect British Wildlife. — Newly-elected MP for Makerfield Andy Burnham shakes hands with the Count

In June this year, it was Andy Burnham's turn to face Binface in the by-election that paved the way for the then Greater Manchester Mayor to become prime minister.

Rather than studiously ignoring the intergalactic warlord, as some may have been tempted to do, Burnham shook him warmly by the hand as he was elected Labour MP for Makerfield.

Binface bagged just 95 votes to Burnham's 24,927.

A great British tradition?

The UK has a rich history of novelty candidates standing in elections, with Monster Raving Loony Party founder Screaming Lord Sutch - a rock musician who fought more than 40 elections in his trademark top hat and gold lame suit - first standing in a by-election in the 1960s. A different Lord Buckethead stood in 1987 and 1992, while comedian Al Murray's pub landlord stood against Farage in 2015.

Objections to such "frivolous" candidates date back even further - to 1918, when a £150 deposit was introduced for candidates. That was later upped to £500, in 1985, in large part due to the popularity of the Monster Raving Loony Party.

BBC/ Willie Smith Screaming Lord Sutch of the Monster Raving Loony Party, at their 1990 party conference. He wears a leapoard skin suit with a matching leopardskin top hat and is sitting astride an orange spacehopper. He is wearing several giant yellow and black rosettes and carries a golden loudhailer, all with the slogan Vote Lord Sutch. He is surrounded by a group of supporters also riding spacehoppers in a car park. — Screaming Lord Sutch was co-founder of the Monster Raving Loony Party in 1982

But the bar for entry remains fairly low: anyone over the age of 18 who can scrape together a £500 deposit and get support from 10 people in the form of signatures is allowed to stand as a candidate in UK elections.

That's why Count Binface has been able to stand in so many high-profile elections. He has, however, lost his £500 every time, after failing to meet the minimum 5% of votes cast in order for his deposit to be returned.

Yet Binface has had his moment in the spotlight each time.

That is because another British tradition means all election candidates must stand side-by-side on a stage at the election count to hear how many votes they have each received - it's a literal leveller, where everyone from prime minsters to a bloke dressed as a bin has the right to be seen and heard as an official candidate.

But all of these no-hope novelty candidates share a few serious aims: to poke fun at power, prick the pomposity of political elites, and allow people a protest vote.

The comic candidates taking on the election elite

Forty years of Monster Raving Loony wannabe MPs

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