Nigel Farage faces off against Count Binface in special election denounced as a stunt

A special election is taking place Thursday in the seaside town of Clacton, just east of London

LONDON -- Tens of thousands of voters are heading to the polls Thursday in a special election in a small seaside resort just outside London that pits a potential candidate to be the next U.K. prime minister against a collection of independents, jokers and single-issue candidates, led by a man who wears a trash can on his head.

That's not what Nigel Farage , who arguably did more than anyone to get Britain to vote to leave the European Union a decade ago, intended when he triggered Thursday’s special election in Clacton by quitting his seat in the House of Commons last month. When doing so, he expected to run against candidates from Britain's main political parties, including the governing Labour Party and the main opposition Conservative Party.

Farage, leader of anti-immigration party Reform UK , stood down in the hope the election could put to bed awkward questions about his finances. Farage said he would let voters judge him in a “people versus the establishment” contest. His political foes described the move as a stunt and opted against fielding a candidate.

Instead, Farage's main opponent is Count Binface , a political satirist posing as a comic space alien with a keen interest in earthly matters, including the positioning of a hand dryer in the men's toilet in a pub in west London.

The election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates standing, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party. They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of around 80,000 voters.

Given the numbers standing, Clacton residents will be presented with a ballot paper that is around 3 feet long (around 1 meter). That's not going to be easy to navigate.

Turnout is widely expected to be low as it often is in special elections. In the July 2024 general election, Farage faced eight rivals and garnered 21,225 votes, or 46.2% of the total. Turnout was 58.7%.

This election is taking place during the summer holidays when thousands of voters will be far away from Clacton. It's also taking place during another U.K. heatwave , which could prompt many to opt against making the trip to the polling station.

Farage, who in 2024 was elected to Parliament at his eighth attempt in the strongly Brexit -backing town, has for months been facing what he considers to be unfair scrutiny of his finances.

Parliament’s standards watchdog is investigating an undeclared donation of 5 million pounds ($6.7 million) to Farage in 2024 from Christopher Harborne, a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire.