Nigel Farage has insisted that the forthcoming by-election in Clacton is a "real election" and should be taken seriously, despite his main rival being a joke candidate dressed as a wheelie bin. The contest was triggered by Farage's own sudden resignation as MP amid sleaze accusations, and matters because all the main parties — Labour, the Conservatives and others — have declined to stand, leaving the Reform leader facing an unusually farcical ballot in the Essex seat.

With no mainstream challengers, Farage's chief opponent is now Count Binface, the satirical candidate whose real name is Jon Harvey and who bills himself as a 5,900-year-old space warrior with pledges such as "building one affordable house" and "nationalising Adele". Farage accused his rivals of cowardice and contempt for voters, dismissed the idea of hustings against Binface as "silly", and said he was seeking an endorsement of himself and his agenda. Bookmakers cut Binface's odds from 50-1 to 5-1 overnight, while Labour and the Tories publicly backed the comedian, who welcomed the fight as "Binface vs Binfire".