Farage poised to face joke candidate after other parties stand down in by-election

Farage announced the move amid an investigation into his finances, making an apparent attempt to secure a fresh mandate from his constituency of Clacton-on-Sea.

Published: July 8, 2026 10:23am

Reform UK's Nigel Farage may face off in a one-on-one against a joke candidate after he stepped down from Parliament this week to trigger a by-election.

Farage announced the move amid an investigation into his finances, making an apparent attempt to secure a fresh mandate from his constituency of Clacton-on-Sea. 

But the other major parties have declined to stand candidates in the by-election, meaning he appears poised to face off against a single opponent: Count Binface, according to BBC4.

Binface is a perennial joke candidate played by a comedian. He has stood in many elections since 2019 and is known for wearing a trash can on his head.

The character is a variation of "Lord Buckethead," a perennial joke candidate that has stood in elections since 1987.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.

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