Count Binface ‘quietly confident’ ahead of Clacton by-election run as he brands Commons dress rules ‘binnist’
Count Binface said he is not yet officially on the ballot and still needs 10 Clacton residents to nominate him
Count Binface has told LBC he is “quietly confident” about his chances in the upcoming Clacton by-election, while insisting any Commons rule preventing him from wearing his trademark costume would amount to “double standards”.
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Speaking to Andrew Marr, the candidate said there was a “small window of opportunity” in which he could become an MP.
“Of course I’ve computed every eventuality,” he said.
“Like Avengers Endgame, there is a small window of opportunity within which I actually become an MP.
“That is something which I think the British people will find hilarious, the rest of humanity would find hilarious, and dare I say, I would find hilarious too.”
His comments come after Nigel Farage quit as Clacton-on-Sea MP on Tuesday, pledging to stand again for his Essex seat after a row over the Reform leader's finances.
Read more: Binface Britain? What Clacton candidate has pledged
His resignation sparked a by-election, which Reform said on Wednesday will take place on August 6.
Despite jokes about Nigel Farage casting him as part of the British establishment, Count Binface dismissed the idea.
“I’ve been waiting for this, to be honest with you, Andrew,” he said.
“Where’s my invite to the Spectator summer party? To the Garrick Club? To Wimbledon royal box? To Last Night at the Proms?
“Because I tell you this, if I am part of the establishment, I’m getting NFI’d to a lot of the good stuff.”
Count Binface said he is not yet officially on the ballot and still needs 10 Clacton residents to nominate him.
But he signalled some of the policies he would campaign on if he does stand, including his long-running pledge to cap the price of 99 Flakes at 99p.
“It’s a seaside town. That’s got to be an easy win,” he said.
He also reeled off a string of familiar Binface policies, including nationalising Adele, building “at least one affordable house”, tying nurses’ pay to that of ministers, bringing back Ceefax and renaming London Bridge after Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The prospective candidate also used the interview to take aim at parliamentary rules on dress, after Marr pointed out MPs are expected to wear “business-like attire” and that large slogan-bearing items are generally considered out of order.
Count Binface argued the rules were open to interpretation.
“I’m not demonstrative. This is just who I am. I’m a recycler,” he said.
“It would be ‘binnist’ of the Speaker to attack me for that one.
“And then you also use the phrase ‘generally’. So if there’s not wriggle room there, then where is there? I say bring it on.”
He also claimed there would be “plenty of candidates” in any Clacton contest and said he doubted it would become a “two-horse race”.
Asked whether he feared the Monster Raving Loony Party could split the anti-Farage vote, Count Binface instead suggested they may take support from Reform.
“The danger would be Farage, that they would split the Reform votes,” he said.
But while he insisted he was “quietly confident”, Count Binface ruled out a traditional ground campaign.
Asked if he would fight the seat with a serious “door-by-door, street-by-street” effort, he replied: “No. Why should I? I don’t have to do that.
“It’s a heatwave, for goodness’ sake. It’s hard enough sitting here talking to you, Andrew. You trying to kill me or what?”