Farage to stand against ‘record’ 33 candidates in UK by-election, including Count Binface

Mainstream parties boycotting election next month sparked by anti-immigration politician’s efforts to stymie a furor around his finances; vote draws record number of candidates

By AFP 18 July 2026, 12:17 pm

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Reform UK leader Nigel Farage speaks during the inaugural Conservative Political Action Conference Great Britain (CPAC GB) in south-east London on July 17, 2026. (Henry Nicholls/AFP)

LONDON — British anti-immigrant politician Nigel Farage will stand against a “record” 33 fringe opponents including longstanding joke candidate Count Binface in a snap by-election next month in eastern England he has triggered, local officials confirmed Friday.

Tendring District Council, which will manage the contest in Clacton — a seaside town and constituency which Farage has represented in parliament since 2024 — announced he and 33 candidates will be on the ballot after nominations closed Friday.

The council said that the total of 34 candidates “is believed to be a record for a parliamentary election.”

Britain’s mainstream parties have opted to boycott the poll after Farage contentiously said he would quit as an MP earlier this month and then re-stand, in a bid to stymie a growing furore around his finances.

The leader of the Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year, has been dogged for weeks by mounting pressure over the non-disclosure of gifts, including allegedly from a convicted fraudster.

The boycott by other parties means his most high-profile rival in the August 13 snap vote is Binface — the so-called intergalactic space warrior and alter ego of a stand-up comedian who wears a huge rubbish bin over his head, along with armor and a gray cape.

(L-R) Count Binface stands next to Labour candidate Andy Burnham and Robert Pownall, after Burnham won the election for MP of Makerfield, at the count centre venue, the Edge in Wigan, northwest England on June 19, 2026 (Oli SCARFF/AFP)

But he will be far from the only joke candidate: Alan “Howling Laud” Hope, the leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party will also be standing.

The long-established eccentric party is also fielding two other candidates: deputy leader Baron Von Thunderclap and treasurer Nick the Flying Brick, who calls for the abolition of gravity.

The list also includes British actor turned “anti-woke” activist Laurence Fox and other representatives of fringe parties and independents.

Addressing a CPAC conservative political conference in London on Friday, Farage said “the people of Clacton can decide whether they back me or whether they back the Establishment.”

“I’ve taken a punt because I like a gamble,” he added. “I think they’re going to come down on my side. I hope and pray that they do. Yes, let the people decide. Let the people be my judge, not the Westminster elite.”