British comedian Count Binface and Reclaim Party leader Laurence Fox say they will contest the upcoming Clacton by-election after the UK’s main parties declined to field candidates against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
The Conservatives, Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Green Party and Restore Britain have all rallied together and ruled out standing in the contest, arguing that Farage’s decision to resign and immediately seek re-election amounts to a “political stunt.”
“This is a desperate stunt from Nigel Farage. Politics should be about improving the lives of millions of people, not about personal gain,” said British PM Keir Starmer.
Tory leader Kemi Badenock said Farage is “running a fake by-election”.
Farage resigned as MP for Clacton on July 7, triggering the by-election while he faces a parliamentary investigation over alleged failures to declare financial interests, including a £5 million donation from businessman Christopher Harborne before entering Parliament.
By vacating his seat, the parliamentary inquiry has been suspended pending the outcome of the by-election.
Following the announcement, Count Binface, the satirical political character created by comedian Jonathan David Harvey, announced his candidacy.
“Nigel Farage says he wants ‘The People versus the Establishment’. So be it. Leave him to me,” Binface said, addressing the others parties, not to contest the seat.
Known for campaigning in a metallic bin worn as a helmet and a manifesto mixing humour with political satire, Binface has previously stood against former prime ministers Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, as well as in several mayoral and parliamentary elections.
Actor Laurence Fox, leader of the Reclaim Party, also confirmed he would stand in Clacton, arguing voters deserved a genuine electoral choice despite the coordinated withdrawal of the established parties.
“If I was a canvasser for any of the established political parties I would be pretty miffed that my party leaders had decided not to represent my voice just because they hate Nigel so much,” Fox wrote on social media.
“What a state British politics is in when political parties don’t stand in elections. This is meant to be a democracy. People should have options when choosing who to vote for.”
Fox said he sympathised with Farage’s claims of being targeted by the political establishment and media but argued someone still needed to challenge him from the political Right.
“There’s lots of things that Nigel won’t want to talk about in this election and someone is going to have to provide a voice on the ‘Right’… so in the absence of a mainstream political party going out there, someone else has to,” he said.
