Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in
Britain's wackiest election
[August 11, 2026]
By BRIAN MELLEY
LONDON (AP) — Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in
British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can
on his head.
Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed
in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special
election Thursday that was derided as a farce long before the ballot was
packed with nearly three dozen candidates — many from the silly end of
the spectrum.
Binface, who has run against prime ministers past and present, was the
first to throw his bucket in the ring when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage
abruptly quit Parliament and said he would seek reelection to clear his
name over financial allegations.
“Game on, Nige,” Binface declared soon after Farage, portraying himself
as the victim of a witch hunt, said he would represent the people
against the establishment.
But when the major political parties denounced Farage’s move as a
political stunt and boycotted the Clacton-on-Sea election in
southeastern England, the trash-talking comedian was launched into prime
position as default challenger. He has been on a nonstop media blitz
since.
“I’m the only fresh thing on the menu,” Binface told The Associated
Press on a day of interviews with reporters from Japan, the Netherlands,
Italy and Germany. “You’re all sick of these politicians, as good as
they’re trying to be, but you know you need something different, a
little bit of secret sauce.”
The jokes have continued nearly nonstop — and not all are coming from
the man in the can with a 20-point plan.
“If (Farage) wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop
him,” then-Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves, known more for
number-crunching than playing for yuks, said as she officially accepted
Farage’s resignation and set the stage for the special election.
The man behind the mask is a comedian who keeps a lid on his identity
Under Binface’s black cape, trash can and ample body armor that looks
straight out of a low-budget sci-fi film, is a middle-aged comedian
named Jon Harvey trying to keep his cool during a sweaty summer.
You’d never know who was in there from talking to his alter ego. Binface
never breaks character and delivers snarky ripostes when challenged to
lift the lid.
“Has anyone here seen ‘Return of the Jedi’?” he said to a BBC host in
reference to the “Star Wars” sequel where Darth Vader is unmasked.
“Nobody wants to know what’s under the recycling. ... It’s absolutely
putrefying.”
Harvey is a married father of two who grew up in London and studied the
classics at Oxford. He has been a TV writer on the political comedy “The
Thick of It” and the humorous news quiz “Have I Got News for You.” He’s
the author of a sports memoir written after his brother’s death and
Binface’s memoir: “What on Earth? An Alien’s Guide to Fixing Britain.”
Binface was born out of a copyright dispute over a bucket
In a country where almost any adult citizen can run for office —
regardless of where they live — eccentric candidates are a celebrated
electoral tradition. On the 3-foot-long (90-centimeter-long) Clacton
ballot, there are no fewer than three members of the Monster Raving
Loony Party, including Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von
Thunderclap.
Harvey’s turn in politics began almost a decade ago when he blasted to
earth from the so-called planet of Sigma IX as Lord Buckethead to run
for the House of Commons seat held by then-Conservative Prime Minister
Theresa May. She won handily, but Binface rocketed to fame and landed on
“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."
[to top of second column]
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Count Binface is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the
Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty
Wigglesworth)
But the use of Buckethead, borrowed from a “Star Wars” parody, ended
in “an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright.” He was
reincarnated as Binface to take on Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and
Rishi Sunak.
He twice challenged London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who proclaimed in his
2024 victory speech that he was the first person in British politics
to win successive victories over Binface.
“Believe me, he made me work hard for it,” Khan quipped.
In June, Binface lost a parliamentary special election to Andy
Burnham, who quickly replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister when he
was forced out after his Labour Party was battered by Farage’s party
in local and regional elections.
Platform includes a dubious tax policy and a hot take on hand
dryers
Binface, leader of the “Recyclons” on his home planet, continues to
reuse items of past campaign manifestos that feature a mix of absurd
and hyper-local policy offerings that don't necessarily resonate
with a global audience.
Among the more relatable points, he promises to “cut your taxes, and
raise everyone else’s,” build one affordable home and nationalize
singer Adele — whatever that means.
One item that has raised some eyebrows is a vow to relocate the hand
dryer in the men’s restroom at the Crown & Treaty pub in Uxbridge to
a more sensible location.
“Do you want to be using the urinal and have another human blasting
your bits with insanely hot air?” he said.
His main selling point is that he’s not Farage, though he has opted
not to directly attack his main opponent. Instead, his platform
takes not-so-subtle digs at the populist often pictured with a pint
of beer.
In reference to the gift Farage did not declare when he was elected,
which is the source of a parliamentary investigation, Binface said
he would not accept 5-million-pound ($6.7-million) gifts from
“crypto billionaires (on Earth).”
He would also bar members of Parliament who resign midterm from
running in the subsequent by-election and promised to spend more
time in Clacton than Washington, D.C., a reference to Farage’s trips
to the U.S., where he considers President Donald Trump an ally.
Candidate seeks a more perfect union with the United States
Binface, if elected, has no interest in dealing with Trump: “He’s
awful.” But he would “love to cement” the so-called special
relationship between Britain and the U.S. “with a galactic union.”
“You’ve still got the Atlantic Ocean. I can’t do much about that,
but yes, I’d love to foster better relations,” he said.
Binface has conceded he doesn’t expect to win, but if he pulls off
an otherworldly upset, he would have to check his headgear at the
door of the House of Commons under rules that bar costumes and
require businesslike attire.
He said some members of Parliament have been discussing making an
exception.
“You might think they should be trying to fix the British economy,
healthcare system and infrastructure first," he said.
But those are issues for serious politicians and not ones you’ll
find on a platform that includes price caps for croissants and a
plan to punish scofflaw cyclists by making them ride unicycles.
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