An eclectic mix of candidates, including a man with a bin on his head, three members of the Monster Raving Loony Party, Nigel Farage, and an Australian, have entered the fray to compete for the parliamentary seat vacated by the Reform UK leader in a pivotal by-election.
The Clacton by-election, set in motion by Nigel Farage’s resignation amid a donations scandal, has drawn a diverse array of contenders, each with distinct backgrounds and motivations.
Farage, under the microscope for allegedly failing to declare millions in gifts and donations from affluent supporters, resigned from his parliamentary role at the start of this month, igniting a by-election he plans to contest once more. The Reform UK leader is urging voters in south-east England to evaluate his deeds, rather than what he claims is a smear campaign orchestrated by the liberal “establishment.”
The by-election is slated for August 13.
Farage is predicted to reclaim the seat, as he is the sole mainstream contender after other leading parties opted out, dismissing the event as mere theatrics.
A number of joke candidates — including Count Binface and another called ‘Nick the Incredible Flying Brick’ — are vying for the seat, along with 20 independents.
Among them is Melbourne-born Daniel Pocock.
‘Unleash an Australian upon London’s establishment’
Pocock is a Swiss-Irish-Australian software engineer who describes himself as an “expert on cybersecurity, open source software [and] cryptocurrencies”.
According to his website, he was born in the Melbourne suburb of Coburg before moving to rural Wandong. He graduated from the University of Melbourne in 2002 with a Bachelor of Computer Science.
While studying, he joined the National Union of Students and used his technical skills to assist websites for early social causes. He built a website opposing the death penalty after Schapelle Corby’s arrest in Bali on drug trafficking charges.
He moved to Europe after graduation and worked for companies like Barclays Capital, Thomson Reuters, and UBS.
In a press release announcing his candidacy, Pocock says he was spurred to nominate himself for Clacton by the prospect of “novelty candidates”.
“If the Essex Lion was to appear on the ballot paper, I suspect it would have an equally good chance of winning. I have yet to see a single report about the real, day-to-day issues facing residents of the district,” he said.
“In a parody of this situation, I have chosen the codename Pocock-on-Sea for the operation to unleash an Australian upon London’s Establishment.”
Pocock said Farage has proposed many Australian policies to replace UK ones, though he did not specify which. Farage has previously outlined an immigration plan that echoes Australia’s offshore processing system, which has been heavily criticised by human rights advocates.
He has challenged Farage to a debate.
“Clacton residents now have the opportunity to take up the nearest pair of scissors and cut out the middleman. Why pay for Nigel Farage to copy Australian policies when you can simply have a real Australian like me?”
Farage’s party has returned favourable opinion polling in the UK for more than a year.
The 62-year-old is under investigation by the UK parliament’s anti-corruption watchdog over the non-disclosure of a £5 million ($9.6 million) donation from British-born, Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne. Farage’s resignation means the inquiry will be suspended until after the by-election.
Some voters in Clacton, a beach town famous for its Victorian pleasure pier, said that, while they were confused about the reason for a new election, they still supported Farage, whatever gifts he had received.
Zoe Banks, a 53-year-old office worker, said she did not have a problem with the gift Farage received as long as it was legal, and she believed he was being attacked by the political establishment.
“He’ll walk it,” she said of the vote. “This time I might actually vote for him … if he’s not broken any rule.”
But Ray Lynaugh, a 54-year-old bus driver, disagreed.
“I dislike the man immensely,” he told the Reuters news agency. “What he stands for, what he’s done to the country. He is self-serving, self-centred.
“Why people vote for him, I don’t know.”
At the UK’s last general election in July 2024, Reform won a 46 per cent share of the vote, comfortably ahead of the second-placed Conservative Party at 28 per cent.
Some voters are dismayed that Farage’s only main challenger appeared to be Count Binface.
Binface is a silver cape-clad character created by comedian Jonathan Harvey, who has run against three prime ministers over the last decade to poke fun at them while, he says, celebrating democracy.
“That’s a joke. Is that a joke?” Alan Jones, a 57-year-old local, asked.
— With additional reporting by Reuters.