Populist Nigel Farage to stand against ‘record’ 33 candidates in UK by-election he triggered

LONDON - British anti-immigrant politician Nigel Farage will stand against a “record” 33 fringe opponents, including longstanding joke candidate Count Binface, in a snap August by-election he has triggered in eastern England, local officials confirmed on July 17.Tendring District Council, which will manage the contest in Clacton – a seaside town and constituency which Farage has represented in Parliament since 2024 – announced he and 33 candidates will be on the ballot after nominations closed on July 17.The council said that the total of 34 candidates “is believed to be a record for a parliamentary election”.Britain’s mainstream parties have opted to boycott the poll after Farage contentiously said he would quit as an MP earlier this month and then re-stand, in a bid to stymie a growing furore around his finances.The leader of the Reform UK party, which has led national opinion polls for more than a year, has been dogged for weeks by mounting pressure over the non-disclosure of gifts, including allegedly from a convicted fraudster.The boycott by other parties means his most high-profile rival in the Aug 13 snap vote is Binface – the so-called “intergalactic space warrior” and alter ego of a stand-up comedian who wears a huge rubbish bin over his head, along with armour and a grey cape.But he will be far from the only joke candidate: Alan “Howling Laud” Hope, the leader of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party will also be standing.Nigel Farage’s most high-profile rival in the Aug 13 snap vote is Count Binface, seen here speaking to members of the press in June 2026. PHOTO: REUTERSThe long-established eccentric party is also fielding two other candidates: deputy leader Baron Von Thunderclap and treasurer Nick the Flying Brick, who calls for the abolition of gravity.The list also includes British actor turned “anti-woke” activist Laurence Fox and other representatives of fringe parties and independents.Addressing a CPAC conservative political conference in London on July 17, Farage said “the people of Clacton can decide whether they back me or whether they back the Establishment”.“I’ve taken a punt because I like a gamble,” he added. “I think they’re going to come down on my side. I hope and pray that they do. Yes, let the people decide. Let the people be my judge, not the Westminster elite.” AFP