{"id":45001,"date":"2026-08-14T19:28:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45001"},"modified":"2026-08-14T19:28:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T14:28:58","slug":"count-binface-wins-hearts-if-not-the-election-in-bid-to-defeat-trump-ally-nigel-farage-in-u-k","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=45001","title":{"rendered":"Count Binface wins hearts, if not the election, in bid to defeat Trump ally Nigel Farage in U.K."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>Count Binface may have come up short in the by-election against Nigel Farage, but don&#8217;t throw his popularity in the trash just yet. The candidate wearing a garbage can on his head just won over a quarter of the votes in a contest against one of Britain&#8217;s most famous politicians.<\/p>\n<p>The longtime satirical candidate had his best showing yet in a surreal campaign triggered by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/nigel-farage-uk-far-right-leader-trump-ally-resigns-finance-scandal\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Farage&#8217;s own resignation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Binface has a simple message to voters: &#8220;I&#8217;m here to take out the trash.&#8221; (In the U.K., a trash can is called a bin, though, so his name might go over some Americans&#8217; heads.)<\/p>\n<p>A mainstay of British politics, Binface has been on the ballot in several elections over the past few years.<\/p>\n<p>The man behind the trash can is satirist Jonathan Harvey, and Binface continues a long tradition of quirky political candidates in U.K. elections. After all, a musician named <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/the-passing-of-lord-sutch\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Screaming Lord Sutch<\/a>, founder of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, holds the record for running in the most parliamentary elections: 39 votes spanning from the 1960s to the &#8217;90s.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/e0960a2d-ee14-4351-8f49-0c3dda5cb627\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/5f70ab4dae22720780324b8b63f9f75c\/gettyimages-2290395553.jpg#\" alt=\"Count Binface attends the vote count for the by-election in the coastal Essex constituency of Clacton-on-Sea, England, on Aug. 14, 2026. \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/e0960a2d-ee14-4351-8f49-0c3dda5cb627\/thumbnail\/620x413g2\/5f70ab4dae22720780324b8b63f9f75c\/gettyimages-2290395553.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/e0960a2d-ee14-4351-8f49-0c3dda5cb627\/thumbnail\/1240x826g2\/011698f2e8ac54831518d39a7bee9796\/gettyimages-2290395553.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">Count Binface attends the vote count for the by-election in the coastal Essex constituency of Clacton-on-Sea, England, on Aug. 14, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Simone Jimena Rudolphi\/Drik\/Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>First, adopting the garb of a prior novelty candidate, Binface ran as Lord Buckethead against then-U.K. Prime Minister <span class=\"link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/britains-prime-minister-theresa-may-quits-as-party-leader-starting-succession-race\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Theresa May<\/a><\/span>. Then, he adopted the moniker of Count Binface, competing against the likes of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/rishi-sunak-britain-prime-minister-frontrunner-conservative-party-boris-johnson-liz-truss-resignation\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Boris Johnson<\/a> and, most recently, current U.K. Prime Minister <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/andy-burnham-new-uk-prime-minister-7th-in-decade-after-keir-starmer\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Andy Burnham<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He, of course, lost all those races, and received very few votes. This is the first time he crossed the 5% threshold that earns him back his 500-pound (about $677) deposit to run.<\/p>\n<p>Following his defeat, Binface will not be able to implement his sweeping and, some might say, radical electoral agenda, which included nationalizing Adele, cutting your taxes while raising everyone else&#8217;s and building &#8220;at least one affordable house.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The election featured a record 34 candidates, which created a comically long paper ballot, with the Reform U.K. Party&#8217;s Farage taking about 63% of the votes.<\/p>\n<p>But still, there was a marked difference in Binface&#8217;s candidacy this time, where he won 9,455 votes, or about 27%. He secured just 95 votes in his challenge to Burnham.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed__float-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\" data-ads=\"{\" extrawordcount=\"\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/c1a71426-0498-4757-8222-7d038af28ece\/thumbnail\/620x413\/e8c9edde07b7d1f2ae2147a1ce6b809b\/gettyimages-2289877019.jpg#\" alt=\"A counter adds a ballot paper to the pile of votes for Reform U.K.'s candidate Nigel Farage at Clacton Leisure Centre, eastern England, on Aug. 14, 2026. \" height=\"413\" width=\"620\" class=\" lazyload\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/c1a71426-0498-4757-8222-7d038af28ece\/thumbnail\/620x413\/e8c9edde07b7d1f2ae2147a1ce6b809b\/gettyimages-2289877019.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/c1a71426-0498-4757-8222-7d038af28ece\/thumbnail\/1240x826\/ae25085505e97b3cd4e0b7bfc3141cb0\/gettyimages-2289877019.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">A counter adds a ballot paper to the pile of votes for Reform U.K.&#8217;s candidate Nigel Farage at Clacton Leisure Centre, eastern England, on Aug. 14, 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                Henry Nicholls\/AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Thursday&#8217;s election itself was a bit of a farce though so maybe the satirical candidate was the perfect foil for Farage. An ally of President Trump who has led a surging far-right, populist movement in the U.K., Farage resigned in early July as a lawmaker to trigger the special election.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve decided that the people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,&#8221; Farage said when he announced his resignation.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This will be a people versus the establishment by-election,&#8221; he said, calling it &#8220;a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment to frankly tell them where to go.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The move was thought at the time to be a high-risk political gamble to renew his mandate from voters as he faced mounting pressure over a scandal connected to failing to disclose financial gifts. But Binface&#8217;s candidacy became more viable when every legitimate party boycotted the election.<\/p>\n<p>Farage&#8217;s reelection now makes him a serious threat to Burnham in the next national elections. Those elections must be called by August 2029, but a prime minister can also call for them at any time before then. Most recently, Prime Minister Keir Starmer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/keir-starmer-resigns-uk-prime-minister-labour-party-andy-burnham\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">resigned after he lost the support<\/a> of many within his party, and fellow Labour Party member Burnham was chosen to replace him.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, a surging Count Binface would also be a natural to run in 2029 as well.<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<p class=\"content__meta--contributors\">\n<p>                                  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/team\/frank-andrews\/\" class=\"byline__author__link\" data-invalid-url-rewritten-http=\"\">Frank  Andrews<\/a><\/p>\n<p>        contributed to this report.\n    <\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"queryly\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  \">\n        <\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<p class=\"content__tags__label\">In:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Count Binface may have come up short in the by-election against Nigel Farage, but don&#8217;t throw his popularity in the trash just yet. The candidate wearing a garbage can on his head just won over a quarter of the votes in a contest against one of Britain&#8217;s most famous politicians. The longtime satirical candidate had&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45002,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/08\/14\/e0960a2d-ee14-4351-8f49-0c3dda5cb627\/thumbnail\/1200x630g2\/10b252b05ea5bbf2f316f127cbb3175d\/gettyimages-2290395553.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-hub"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45001","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45001"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45001\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45002"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45001"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45001"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45001"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}