Count Binface: The intergalactic warrior who could upend Britain's strangest election

Here is the latest breaking news from around the world: Europe Count Binface: The intergalactic warrior who could upend Britain's strangest election July 10, 20265:00 AM ET By Fatima Al-Kassab Count Binface, a candidate in the Clacton-on-Sea by-election, poses for photographers at the Glastonbury Festival, Somerset, England, June 29, 2024. Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP hide caption toggle caption Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP When Nigel Farage triggered a special election this week amid scrutiny over his finances, Britain's populist right-wing leader declared it a "people versus the establishment" election. A longtime ally of President Donald Trump, Farage has built a political profile that extends well beyond Britain's borders.

He was one of the leading figures behind the campaign to leave the European Union, known as Brexit, and has spent years presenting himself as an outsider in British politics. Now, the man who once helped reshape British politics is facing one of his strangest opponents yet: a candidate dressed as a giant trash can. Sponsor Message Hours after the Reform UK leader resigned his seat in Parliament, triggering a by-election -or special election - in his Clacton-on-Sea constituency in southern England, the country's three main political parties said they would stay out of the contest.

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Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats all said they would not field candidates in the election, variously describing his resignation as a "stunt" and a distraction from the issue of Farage's finances. Instead, the contest has taken a bizarre turn, with Farage's battle against the establishment now sharing the spotlight with Count Binface — a satirical candidate dressed as a garbage can. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage stops outside a bucket and spade shop for a photograph while speaking to members of the public on the High Street on July 8, 2026, in Frinton-on-Sea, England.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe hide caption toggle caption Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe Farage gambles on a new election This latest twist in British politics comes after weeks of mounting questions over how Farage — whose right-wing populist Reform UK party has been leading in a number of national polls for months — gets his political funding. Earlier this year, it emerged that Farage had received an undisclosed gift worth more than $6 million from cryptocurrency investor Christopher Harborne. The billionaire has lived in Thailand for two decades, where he is known by the name "Chakrit Sakunkrit".

Harborne has donated millions to Farage's Reform UK party, making him the single biggest living donor to a British political party in history. That gift is now being investigated by Parliament's standards watchdog. Sponsor Message The scrutiny intensified earlier this month when it emerged that Farage had also failed to declare financial benefits — including private security, staff support and accommodation — provided by his longtime aide, George Cottrell, who has been found guilty of fraud in the United States.

The story has become one of the most prominent items on the global agenda.