Count Binface, the self-described 'intergalactic space warrior', achieved his best-ever electoral result in the Clacton by-election, securing 26.9% of the vote—almost 10,000 votes—after Nigel Farage's resignation triggered the contest.
Who is Count Binface?
Count Binface is the alter-ego of Jon Harvey, a stand-up comedian and author born in Croydon and a Crystal Palace fan. Harvey has worked on political satires such as the BBC's The Thick of It, Have I Got News for You, and Time Trumpet, and has presented for Times Radio. In 2019, the New Yorker hailed him for creating one of the 'Jokes of the Year' with his Succession parody Recession.
On his official website, Harvey writes that Count Binface is 'an intergalactic space warrior who stood against Theresa May in 2017 and went viral (in a non-Covid way)'. He later challenged Boris Johnson in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, stood in the 2021 London mayoral election, and has run in multiple by-elections since.
Clacton by-election results and reaction
Nigel Farage secured a win in Clacton and is expected to return as MP, but Count Binface won 26.9% of the overall vote, equal to almost 10,000 votes. In his victory speech, the Count declared himself the 'winning candidate… of the candidates who bothered to turn for the results', as Farage failed to attend the announcement in person.
The results mark a significant increase for the Count. In the 2019 general election, he won only 69 votes after being beaten by Lord Buckethead with 125 votes. He won over 24,000 votes in the 2021 London mayoral race, lost the 2023 Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election with 190 votes, won 308 votes against Rishi Sunak in the 2025 General Election, and took 95 votes against Andy Burnham in the Makerfield by-election.
Speaking about his 9,455-vote win in Clacton, the Count said he was 'over the moon' before confirming that he's 'just getting started'.
Why did he change his name from Lord Buckethead?
Until 2018, Count Binface was known as Lord Buckethead. Comedian Jon Harvey wound up in a copyright dispute over the character with US-based filmmaker Todd Durham. Lord Buckethead first appeared in Durham's 1984 sci-fi film Hyperspace as an intergalactic villain. A version of Lord Buckethead, not played by Jon, stood in the 1987 and 1992 UK general elections, played by Mike Lee, the owner of the company that handled UK distribution for the film.
After Jon Harvey's unofficial portrayal went viral in 2017, a legal dispute arose. As the Count writes on his website: 'In 2018 I had an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright. An elderly American human film producer took my Twitter account off me after I got famous. So I had an upgrade and took on Boris Johnson in the 2019 election in my new and improved form, Count Binface. I'm still your friendly neighbourhood space warrior campaigning for justice, lasers, Lovejoy and the return of Ceefax.' A new, seemingly approved performer took over the role of Lord Buckethead in 2019 and ran against Count Binface.
The Clacton result solidifies Count Binface's status as a recurring fixture in UK elections, with his largest vote share to date and a promise of further political appearances.
