CLACTON-ON-SEA, England, July 8 (Reuters) - A gamble by Nigel Farage, leader of Britain's populist Reform UK, to trigger an election for his own parliamentary seat could mean the only opponent he will face during campaigning is a man with a trash can on his head, better known as Count Binface.
Farage, 62, under investigation in parliament over millions of pounds of gifts from wealthy backers, has said he wants voters in his Clacton electoral district, in southeast England, to judge his actions, not what he characterises as a liberal "establishment" bent on discrediting him.
Many voters in the beach town, which is 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.
"Why are they going on about it?" said retiree Rosina Herriott, 78, adding all politicians receive gifts. "It's because of him. They're scared of him, that's what it is."
VOTERS DEFEND FARAGE
Farage, whose party has led opinion polls for more than a year, quit as a lawmaker on Tuesday to trigger what is known as a by-election.
He said the parliamentary standards committee investigating him was being used as a "political tool" by those who feared the electoral threat he posed. He has denied any wrongdoing.
But in the hours that followed his announcement, all the main political parties said they would not take part in the Clacton vote, dubbing it a "stunt" designed to distract attention from the issue of his finances.
Voters in Clacton, which in the early 20th century was a holiday destination for Londoners but is now a retiree hotspot surrounded by static mobile home parks, mostly defended Farage and said he was the only politician they trusted with the issue of immigration, a big concern for British voters.
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 did believe 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 Reuters. "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 last election, in July 2024, Reform won a 46% share of the vote, comfortably ahead of the second-placed Conservative Party, with 28%.
BINFACE: IS THAT A JOKE?
Beyond the refurbished pier packed with visitors and the rows of wind turbines spinning miles off Clacton's beach, the town struggles. Almost half of working age people there are economically inactive, one of the highest rates in Britain.
John Moore, 17, who is unemployed, is counting on Farage to fix things.
"I think he's the way to go," he said.
For some in the governing Labour Party, opposition Conservatives and other parties, the possibility of Binface being Farage's sole challenger sums up what they say is the absurdity of the Reform leader's move to trigger the election.
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.
For Reform UK, however, the mainstream parties' decision to shun the election proved that they are afraid of taking on Farage, a skilled and pugnacious communicator who has arguably changed Britain more than some prime ministers despite never having served in government.
Polls show that Reform remains the most popular party in Britain, however a YouGov poll on Wednesday showed Farage was seen unfavourably by Britons by 65% to 25%, with a majority saying he was unprincipled.
For Alan Jones, 57, who is unemployed, Farage has done nothing for the town of Clacton, and he is dismayed that the Reform leader's only challenger is Binface.
"That's a joke. Is that a joke?," he said.
(Reporting by Sarah Young and Ben Makori, Additional reporting by Elizabeth Piper and Alistair Smout; Editing by Gareth Jones and Alex Richardson)
