Nigel Farage, a staunch ally to President Donald Trump and leader of the United Kingdom's Reform party, is at growing risk of being ousted from his seat in the U.K. Parliament after pulling what some have called a “desperate political stunt” – and his chief opponent is a comedian who wears a trash bin on his head known as Count Binface.
After facing a wave of scrutiny over new revelations involving undisclosed gifts, Farage announced Tuesday that he would be resigning from his seat with the intention of running for re-election in an apparent attempt to “quiet his critics,” per The New York Times’ Stephen Castle.
While Farage’s resignation triggered a by-election – similar to a special election in the United States – U.K.’s other political parties refused to participate, with outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling Farage’s move a "desperate political stunt.”
And, as reported by The Independent Wednesday, Farage’s re-election bid is now under threat by Count Binface, who according to the outlet is now “being quoted as the second favorite” to win.
“The comedian, who is described as an ‘independent space warrior’ and wears a bin on his head, has contested a number of elections, most recently the by-election in Makerfield, where he received 95 votes,” The Independent's report reads.
“The comedic candidate has pledged to make corners in football properly refereed, end [subsidies] for food and drink in parliament, conscript people who play loud music on public transport and force cyclists who break the highway code to ride unicycles instead.”
Farage has long supported Trump, stumping for the president at a campaign rally back in 2016 and likening the MAGA movement to the U.K.’s withdrawal from the European Union.