Man dressed as fox pulls out of Clacton by-election because it’s become a ‘circus’
A wildlife campaigner who planned to stand in the Clacton by-election in a full-body fox costume has pulled out because he doesn’t want to be part of a “circus”.
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Rob Pownall has withdrawn, saying: “Farage can have his circus, we’re not going to be part of it.”
Last month Mr Pownall stood in the Makerfield by-election against Andy Burnham, alongside Count Binface, Nigel Farage’s main rival in Clacton.
Mr Farage triggered a by-election in Clacton last week, after claiming that a sleaze election into his finances was being used as a tool against him.
Mr Pownall initially announced that he was running against Mr Farage in protest at his long-standing support for fox hunting.
But he wrote in an online post: “In the days since, the full list of candidates has come out, and it’s made something clear.
“Whatever chance there was of this being taken seriously has now gone. Laurence Fox is standing. A disgraced reality TV star is standing. Count Binface, the Monster Raving Loony Party, and now us.
“The more time that’s passed, the more this has looked less like a by-election and more like a circus, with people using Farage’s seat as a stage for their own attention, career, or brand.”