A British comedian wearing a rubbish bin on his head is hoping to turn political satire into votes in what could be one of Britain's most unusual parliamentary elections.
Count Binface, who describes himself as an intergalactic space warrior, is among nearly three dozen candidates contesting a special election in Clacton-on-Sea in southeastern England on Thursday.
The contest was already being described as unusual after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage resigned from Parliament and announced that he would seek re-election to address allegations over his finances.
Binface quickly announced his candidacy, challenging Farage with his trademark humour.
"Game on, Nige," he said after Farage accused the political establishment of targeting him.
The major political parties have criticized Farage's decision and decided not to contest the election, leaving Binface with a prominent position as one of his most colorful challengers.
Since then, he has been busy giving interviews and promoting his campaign.
"I'm the only fresh thing on the menu," Binface told The Associated Press. "You're all sick of these politicians ... but you need something different."
Even senior politicians have joined in the jokes. Rachel Reeves, then Britain's Treasury secretary, quipped after accepting Farage's resignation: "If he wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won't stop him."
Comedian behind the mask
Behind the black cape, rubbish bin and science-fiction-style protective gear is Jon Harvey, a middle-aged comedian who prefers to keep his identity separate from his political character.
Harvey never appears in public as Binface without the costume and refuses to reveal what is beneath the helmet.
Asked by a BBC presenter to remove the headgear, he referred to the "Star Wars" character Darth Vader and joked that nobody would want to see what was underneath.
Harvey is a married father of two who grew up in London and studied classics at Oxford University. He has worked as a writer for political comedy programmes including "The Thick of It" and "Have I Got News for You."
He has also written books, including Binface's fictional political memoir, "What on Earth? An Alien's Guide to Fixing Britain."
From Buckethead to Binface
Harvey's political career began nearly a decade ago when he ran for Parliament under the name Lord Buckethead against then-Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May.
The character became popular, but a copyright dispute over the name forced Harvey to create a new identity.
Thus, Count Binface was born.
Since then, he has challenged former Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, as well as London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Khan defeated Binface twice and joked after his 2024 victory that he was the first politician to beat him in consecutive elections.
Binface also contested a parliamentary special election in June but lost to Andy Burnham.
Britain has a long tradition of unusual political candidates, and the Clacton ballot includes three candidates from the Monster Raving Loony Party, including Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap.
Tax cuts, hand dryers and unicycles
Binface's campaign platform mixes serious-sounding promises with deliberately absurd ideas.
Among his proposals are cutting voters' taxes while raising taxes for everyone else, building an affordable home and nationalizing singer Adele.
He also wants to move a hand dryer in the men's bathroom of a pub in Uxbridge, arguing that its current position is too close to the urinals.
His campaign takes several indirect jabs at Farage, including a promise that he would not accept multimillion-pound gifts from cryptocurrency billionaires.
Binface also wants MPs who resign during their terms to be barred from contesting the immediate by-election that follows.
He has promised to spend more time in Clacton than in Washington, a reference to Farage's frequent trips to the United States and his close ties with President Donald Trump.
A 'galactic union' with US
Binface said he has little interest in dealing directly with Trump, describing the US president as "awful."
However, he said he would like to strengthen the relationship between Britain and the United States through what he jokingly called a "galactic union."
Despite his campaign, Binface admits he does not expect to win.
If he does pull off a surprise victory, however, he may have to leave his famous costume outside the House of Commons because parliamentary rules require MPs to dress appropriately and prohibit costumes.
Binface said some MPs have discussed making an exception for him.
His manifesto also includes proposals such as price controls on croissants and forcing cyclists who break traffic rules to ride unicycles.
For now, Count Binface appears less interested in becoming Britain's next major political figure than in adding a dose of humour to an already unusual election.