Count Binface, the man in a can with a plan, seeks Parliament seat in Britain's wackiest election

LONDON (AP) — Timing is everything in comedy and, so it seems, in British politics for a perennial joke candidate who wears a garbage can on his head.

Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior, has landed in the center of the U.K.’s political universe ahead of a special election Thursday that was derided as a farce long before the ballot was packed with nearly three dozen candidates — many from the silly end of the spectrum.

Binface, who has run against prime ministers past and present, was the first to throw his bucket in the ring when Reform UK leader Nigel Farage abruptly quit Parliament and said he would seek reelection to clear his name over financial allegations.

“Game on, Nige,” Binface declared soon after Farage, portraying himself as the victim of a witch hunt, said he would represent the people against the establishment.

But when the major political parties denounced Farage’s move as a political stunt and boycotted the Clacton-on-Sea election in southeastern England, the trash-talking comedian was launched into prime position as default challenger. He has been on a nonstop media blitz since.

“I’m the only fresh thing on the menu,” Binface told The Associated Press on a day of interviews with reporters from Japan, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany. “You’re all sick of these politicians, as good as they’re trying to be, but you know you need something different, a little bit of secret sauce.”

The jokes have continued nearly nonstop — and not all are coming from the man in the can with a 20-point plan.

“If (Farage) wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him,” then-Treasury Secretary Rachel Reeves, known more for number-crunching than playing for yuks, said as she officially accepted Farage’s resignation and set the stage for the special election.

Under Binface’s black cape, rubbish bin and ample body armor that looks straight out of a low-budget sci-fi film, is a middle-aged comedian named Jon Harvey trying to keep his cool during a sweaty summer.

You’d never know who was in there from talking to his alter ego. Binface never breaks character and delivers snarky ripostes when challenged to lift the lid.

“Has anyone here seen ‘Return of the Jedi’?” he said to a BBC host in reference to the “Star Wars” sequel where Darth Vader is unmasked. “Nobody wants to know what’s under the recycling. ... It’s absolutely putrefying.”

Harvey is a married father of two who grew up in London and studied the classics at Oxford. He has been a TV writer on the political comedy “The Thick of It” and the humorous news quiz “Have I Got News for You.” He’s the author of a sports memoir written after his brother’s death and Binface’s memoir: “What on Earth? An Alien’s Guide to Fixing Britain.”

In a country where almost any adult citizen can run for office — regardless of where they live — eccentric candidates are a celebrated electoral tradition. On the 3-foot-long (0.9-meter-long) Clacton ballot, there are no fewer than three members of the Monster Raving Loony Party, including Nick the Incredible Flying Brick and Baron von Thunderclap.

Harvey’s turn in politics began almost a decade ago when he blasted to earth from the so-called planet of Sigma IX as Lord Buckethead to run for the House of Commons seat held by then-Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May. She won handily, but Binface rocketed to fame and landed on “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver."

But the use of Buckethead, borrowed from a “Star Wars” parody, ended in “an unfortunate battle on the planet Copyright.” He was reincarnated as Binface to take on Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.

He twice challenged London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who proclaimed in his 2024 victory speech that he was the first person in British politics to win successive victories over Binface.

“Believe me, he made me work hard for it,” Khan quipped.

In June, Binface lost a parliamentary special election to Andy Burnham, who quickly replaced Keir Starmer as prime minister when he was forced out after his Labour Party was battered by Farage’s party in local and regional elections.

Binface, leader of the “Recyclons” on his home planet, continues to reuse items of past campaign manifestos that feature a mix of absurd and hyper-local policy offerings that don't necessarily resonate with a global audience.

Among the more relatable points, he promises to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s,” build one affordable home and nationalize singer Adele — whatever that means.

One item that has raised some eyebrows is a vow to relocate the hand dryer in the men’s restroom at the Crown & Treaty pub in Uxbridge to a more sensible location.

“Do you want to be using the urinal and have another human blasting your bits with insanely hot air?” he said.

His main selling point is that he’s not Farage, though he has opted not to directly attack his main opponent. Instead, his platform takes not-so-subtle digs at the populist often pictured with a pint of beer.

In reference to the gift Farage did not declare when he was elected, which is the source of a parliamentary investigation, Binface said he would not accept 5-million-pound ($6.7-million) gifts from “crypto billionaires (on Earth).”

He would also bar members of Parliament who resign midterm from running in the subsequent by-election and promised to spend more time in Clacton than Washington, D.C., a reference to Farage’s trips to the U.S., where he considers President Donald Trump an ally.

Binface, if elected, has no interest in dealing with Trump: “He’s awful.” But he would “love to cement” the so-called special relationship between Britain and the U.S. “with a galactic union.”

“You’ve still got the Atlantic Ocean. I can’t do much about that, but yes, I’d love to foster better relations,” he said.

Binface has conceded he doesn’t expect to win, but if he pulls off an otherworldly upset, he would have to check his headgear at the door of the House of Commons under rules that bar costumes and require businesslike attire.

He said some members of Parliament have been discussing making an exception.

“You might think they should be trying to fix the British economy, healthcare system and infrastructure first," he said.

But those are issues for serious politicians and not ones you’ll find on a platform that includes price caps for croissants and a plan to punish scofflaw cyclists by making them ride unicycles.

Count Binface leaves after being interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Count Binface is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Count Binface leaves after being interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

A journalist takes a selfie with Count Binface after he is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Count Binface is interviewed at a studio in London ahead of the Clacton by-election, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — It took Austin Hays just four pitches to show the San Diego Padres they made the right decision to sign him as a free agent.

Hays hit a pinch, two-run home run in his first at-bat with the Padres to cap San Diego's four-homer game in a 7-2 win against the AL West-leading Houston Astros on Sunday night.

He was signed earlier in the day and resumed a season that's seen him play only 13 games because of various leg injuries. He was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Hays drove a 2-1 pitch from lefty Bryan King and pumped his fists as the ball sailed into the left-field corner. His teammates raised their arms in celebration in the dugout.

“I've been feeling good in Triple-A for the past month, so I’ve been waiting to do that up here,” the 31-year-old Hays said. “It was a good feeling. I let out a lot of excitement there on that swing. It was a long road for me to get back this year. It was a battle, but I’m feeling good right now, and I was able to put a good swing on the ball on my first night here, so, it’s a good feeling.”

His big swing allowed All-Star closer Mason Miller to have the night off.

“He told me afterward, ‘You’re my favorite player,' ” Hays said. “I think he was glad to be able to have a night where he wasn't going to go out there let it rip for 15 pitches.”

That was exactly why the Padres, who are one game out of the NL's third wild-card spot, signed Hays.

“We’ve been missing that, that right-handed bat off the bench that we could throw in for a pinch-hit, with (Luis) Rengifo playing as much as he can," manager Craig Stammen said. "And, you know, that’s a good way to get in good with your teammates and your coaching staff, to homer on your first pinch-hit at-bat, which is not easy to do, but, you know, great swing by him and welcome to the Padres, Austin Hayes.”

Stammen said the situation was perfect for Hays.

“I talked to him when I walked in this morning and said, ‘Hey, if they bring a lefty in you’re going to be pinch-hitting for one of our lefty hitters and be ready for that,' “ Stammen said. ”As the week goes, he’ll probably get some starts but that’s kind of the spot, he’s on the roster for that opportunity. When they bring a lefty in and we’ve got some of our lefties up, that we’d rather have a righty hitting, he can be someone with some pop off the bench and take a good at-bat.”

Hays said he was ready for the situation.

“Around the fourth or fifth, you’re looking out there. They've got quite a few lefties in their bullpen. So it was a close game. I saw where the lineup was, and thought, ”I've got a shot here.' I saw him stand up and I was ready to go up there and take some hacks."

Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fourth inning, said Hays' homer was “Huge. Coming in with the right step. I'm happy for him. He's definitely going to help us in the long run.”

Hays has been sidelined much of this season by hamstring and calf injuries and played in only 12 games with the White Sox.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

San Diego Padres third baseman Gage Workman, left, misses a grounder but Padres shortstop Sung-Mun Song, right, of South Korea, fields the grounder hit by Arizona Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)