Count Binface takes on Nigel Farage in Clacton by-election

Count Binface, the comedy candidate played by writer Jon Harvey, is standing against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election on Thursday.

The by-election was triggered when Farage resigned in what mainstream parties have described as a stunt linked to a parliamentary inquiry into his finances. Those parties are not fielding candidates, leaving Farage to face independent and parody contenders including Count Binface.

AFP reported that polls give Farage a clear lead with more than 70 percent of the vote, while Count Binface could win as much as 20 percent.

Harvey, 46, is an Oxford Classics graduate who has written for satirical television programmes including "The Thick of It" and "Have I Got News for You". He first drew attention in 2017 as Lord Buckethead when he challenged then-prime minister Theresa May in a general election. A copyright dispute later led him to rebrand as Count Binface.

His campaigns mix political satire with joke pledges, including caps on croissant prices, better WiFi on UK trains and bans on loud snacks in cinemas. In his Clacton manifesto, he pledged to build "at least one affordable house" and presented himself as a "unity candidate".

Harvey says the campaigns also make a serious point about democracy. On his website, he writes that a ballot is worth casting even when the result appears clear.

Catherine Barnard, a political expert at Cambridge University, said Farage was still expected to return as an MP, but added that there were indications he was worried he would not win as comprehensively as he wanted.