Under a black cape and rubbish bin that resembles low-budget sci-fi armor, comedian Jon Harvey stays cool during a hot summer. His alter ego, Count Binface, never breaks character. Delivering witty replies to challenges, he keeps the mystery alive about what’s beneath his costume. In a playful reference to ‘Star Wars,’ he told a BBC host that ‘Nobody wants to know what’s under the recycling. It’s absolutely putrefying.’
Harvey, a married father of two, grew up in London and studied classics at Oxford. He wrote for political comedies like ‘The Thick of It’ and ‘Have I Got News for You.’ He’s authored a sports memoir after his brother’s death and Binface’s memoir: ‘What on Earth? An Alien’s Guide to Fixing Britain.’
In Britain, eccentric candidates are a celebrated electoral tradition. On the Clacton ballot, there are several from the Monster Raving Loony Party, including Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap.
Harvey’s political journey began almost ten years ago. Appearing as Lord Buckethead, he ran against Prime Minister Theresa May. Though he lost, he gained fame and appeared on ‘Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.’ However, ‘Buckethead’ became entangled in copyright issues. Binface emerged next, taking on Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, and challenging London Mayor Sadiq Khan. Khan, in his victory speech, said defeating Binface twice was hard work.
In June, Binface lost a special parliamentary election to Andy Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister. Binface, the leader of the ‘Recyclons,’ recycles past campaign manifestos with absurd and hyperlocal contributions. He proposes to cut taxes, build a single affordable home, and nationalize singer Adele. A quirky promise includes relocating a hand dryer in a pub restroom for practical reasons.
Binface avoids direct attacks on main rival Nigel Farage. Instead, his platform subtly critiques Farage, often seen with a pint of beer. One policy states he won’t accept £5 million gifts from ‘crypto billionaires.’ Further, he seeks to bar midterm-resigned MPs from running in by-elections.
If elected, Binface avoids dealing with Trump, expressing disdain, but keen to strengthen UK-US ties. While he doesn’t expect to win, a victory means leaving his costume at the door of the House of Commons. Discussions for exceptions to this rule are ongoing.
He noted that Parliament should focus on fixing the economy and healthcare, rather than costume policies. His platform amusingly includes capping croissant prices and forcing errant cyclists onto unicycles, highlighting his non-serious approach to politics.
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