LONDON – For nearly a decade, Count Binface, a novelty political candidate famous for wearing a repurposed garbage can as a headpiece, has been a beloved running gag across British elections. Now, the self-styled intergalactic space warrior is stealing the spotlight in a high-profile special by-election in Clacton-on-Sea, where he is one of 34 candidates competing against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage this Thursday.
The contest has already drawn outsize public attention in large part because all major UK political parties have chosen to boycott the race, creating an open field for unconventional candidates like Binface to capture voter interest. Unlike other fringe candidates who have joined UK ballots over the years, Binface has carved out a distinct niche with his signature armor-adorned look topped by his iconic trash can helmet, and a 20-point policy manifesto that blends absurd humor with pointed, tongue-in-cheek commentary on mainstream British politics.
As the self-proclaimed leader of the Recyclons from the fictional planet Sigma IX, Binface’s political brand is built on a core ethos of reuse: he frequently carries over popular past policies from previous campaigns, where he has challenged sitting prime ministers and the mayor of London, and mixes them with new, joke proposals for each new race. The candidate says he stands fully behind every policy he has introduced over his years in novelty politics.
Among the standout pledges from his current Clacton campaign is a whimsical tax plan: “I will cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s.” He also promises to construct at least one new affordable home, and to reform arcade claw machines to guarantee players a fair shot at winning prizes. One of his most popular policies, contributed by 10-year-old Jack, would require oil and gas companies to cover the cost of installing solar panels for every UK household.
Other pledges include a new windfall tax on celebrity-written “cozy crime” novels, a national referendum to restore Pluto’s status as a full planet, and a plan to fill road potholes using leftover copies of the UK Labour Party’s 2024 election manifesto. Binface also promises functional on-board Wi-Fi for trains – and, for that matter, functional trains themselves. Rules for bad road behavior would see cyclists who break traffic laws forced to ride unicycles instead, while commuters who play audio on speakerphone in public transit would face conscription.
Hyper-local quirkiness also makes an appearance: Binface has pledged to reposition the hand dryer in the men’s restroom of Uxbridge’s Crown & Treaty pub to a more practical location. On the cultural front, he promises knighthoods for animated characters Wallace and Gromit in recognition of their contributions to Wensleydale cheese, and a ban on loudly crinkled snacks in cinemas and theaters. To address the UK’s ongoing homelessness crisis, Binface proposes requiring the British royal family to keep only one of their four major residential palaces – Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, St James’s Palace, and Clarence House – and gift the rest to the state to be repurposed for affordable housing. If the royals object to the plan, he jokes they will be forced to purchase struggling London soccer club Crystal Palace.