Count Binface

Count Binface is a character created by the British comedian Jon Harvey, first announced on Twitter on 12 December 2018.[1] He was a candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip in the 2019 United Kingdom general election against incumbent prime minister Boris Johnson.

Count Binface
First appearance	12 December 2018
Portrayed by	Jon Harvey (2018–present)
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Political satirist
Nationality	British

In earlier elections Harvey stood as Lord Buckethead, but was forced to change the name due to a copyright dispute with Todd Durham, the originator of the character.[2][3] Another individual contested the Uxbridge and South Ruislip seat as Buckethead, representing the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, to which Binface said he "look[s] forward to both the hustings and to challenging [him] to take part in a receptacle-to-receptacle debate".[4]

On 27 February, Binface announced his intention to stand in the 2020 London mayoral election.[5] Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the election was delayed until 2021.[6]

Biography

Binface claimed to be 5,965 years old,[7] and described himself as an "independent space warrior".[8]

2019 General Election Policies

Binface announced a series of satirical policies for the 2019 general election, including:

• Bringing back Ceefax, the teletext service.[8] He had previously promised to bring back the service in 2017 as Lord Buckethead.[9]
• Returning 20,001 police officers to the street, a reference to the Conservative pledge of 20,000 more police officers.[10]
• Nationalising model railways.[11]
• Holding a referendum on holding a second referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union.[11]
• Allowing any Czechs on the Irish Border to remain.[11]
• Nationalising Adele, the English singer.[12]
• Abolishing the House of Lords.[12] He had previously pledged the same in 2017 as Lord Buckethead.[13]
• Giving free broadband to everyone,[12] a reference to the similar Labour policy.[14]
• Stopping the sale of arms to repressive regimes.[12]
• Making Piers Morgan zero emissions by 2030.[12]
• Renaming London Bridge to "Phoebe Waller".[12]
• Introducing a minimum voting age of 16 and a maximum of 80.[12]
• Sending £1 trillion a week to the NHS,[11] a reference to Boris Johnson and Vote Leave's 'Brexit Bus' which had the slogan "We send the EU £350 million a week, let’s fund our NHS instead" emblazoned on the side.[15]
• Proroguing Jacob Rees-Mogg,[11] a reference to the government's prorogation during September and October 2019.[16]
• Banishing Katie Hopkins to the Phantom Zone.[11]
• Moving the hand dryer in the men's toilet at Uxbridge's Crown and Treaty pub to a "more sensible position".[11]

London Mayoral Election

Binface announced his intention to stand for the 2020 London Mayoral Election and announced a few initial policies for the 2020 London Mayoral election including:

• Finish Crossrail,[17]
• Free parking for electric vehicles between Vine Street and the Strand,[17]
• London to join the European Union,[17]
• Renaming London Bridge to "Phoebe Waller".[17]

Binface also started a fundraiser to raise the necessary amount to allow him to stand. If he raises £1000 he will stand as a constituency member in the Greater London Authority (GLA). Raising £5000 will allow him to stand as a London-wide candidate in the GLA. And if he raises £10,000 he will stand for Mayor of London. If either the first or second target is reached the excess money will be donated to Shelter to help combat homelessness.[17]

Electoral history

General election 2019: Uxbridge and South Ruislip[18]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Conservative	Boris Johnson	25,351	52.6	+1.8
	Labour	Ali Milani	18,141	37.6	-2.4
	Liberal Democrats	Joanne Humphreys	3,026	6.3	+2.3
	Green	Mark Keir	1,090	2.3	+0.4
	UKIP	Geoffrey Courtenay	283	0.6	-2.8
	Monster Raving Loony	Lord Buckethead	125	0.3	N/A
	Independent	Count Binface	69	0.1	N/A
	Independent	Alfie Utting	44	0.1	N/A
	Independent	Yace Yogenstein	23	0.0	N/A
	Independent	Norma Burke	22	0.0	N/A
	Independent	Bobby Elmo Smith	8	0.0	N/A
	Independent	William Tobin	5	0.0	N/A
Turnout			48,174	68.5	+1.7

See also

• Vermin Supreme, an American satirical candidate.

References

1. Cockburn, Harry (15 November 2019). "Former Lord Buckethead takes aim at rival candidate who took his name as he bids to unseat Boris Johnson". The Independent. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
2. Waterson, Jim (26 May 2019). "Double trouble: the fight to be the real Lord Buckethead". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2019. 'People should know it’s not the same person,' said comedian Jon Harvey, confirming for the first time that he was the man in the plastic mask during the 2017 general election. 'It's being run by an American from Beverly Hills.'
3. "Comedian Jon Harvey to take on Boris Johnson as Count Binface". comedy.co.uk. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019. 'Harvey previously took on Theresa May as Lord Buckethead, but has changed the character after an American-lead copyright dispute'
4. Jamieson, Alastair (17 November 2019). "Boris versus Binface: The barmy battles in Britain's 'Brexit election'". euronews. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
5. Binface, Count (27 February 2020). "NEWSFLASH! First there was Maidenhead.Then there was Uxbridge [...]". @CountBinface - Twitter. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
6. "English local elections postponed over coronavirus". BBC News. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
7. "Johnson rival Binface makes bid for Christmas number one". Hillingdon & Uxbridge Times. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
8. Morrison, Sean (14 November 2019). "Man behind Lord Buckethead to run in PM constituency under new alias". Evening Standard. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
9. Heritage, Stuart (8 June 2017). "The 2017 election awards: from best eating of a Pringle to biggest dolt". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
10. "Johnson rival Binface makes bid for Christmas number one". South West Londoner. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
11. "MANIFESTO!". www.countbinface.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
12. Sharma, Ruchira (6 December 2019). "Count Binface lost the rights to Lord Buckethead, but he's still fighting the PM". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
13. Delahunty, Stephen (6 June 2017). "Alternative Maidenhead candidates go head-to-head at hustings". Maidenhead Advertiser. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
14. Mason, Rowena (14 November 2019). "Labour pledges free broadband for all homes and firms in UK". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
15. Zatat, Narjas (4 August 2019). "Boris Johnson has pledged to boost NHS spending and people are making the same point". www.indy100.com. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
16. "Parliament suspension: Queen approves PM's plan". BBC News. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
17. "Count Binface Runs for Mayor of London". YouTube.
18. "Uxbridge & Ruislip South parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". BBC News. Retrieved 14 December 2019.

External links

• Official website