10 July 2026 , 08:21
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One of Labour’s biggest donors has pledged to fund Count Binface in his Clacton by-election battle with Nigel Farage.
As reported by The Telegraph, Dale Vince, a green energy tycoon who has donated more than £6m to Labour since 2013 via his Ecotricity business, has contacted the self-described intergalactic space warrior’s agent and offered to support him.
Count Binface, the novelty candidate whose real name is Jon Harvey, is the leading opposition candidate to Mr Farage.
The Reform UK leader resigned as the MP for Clacton on Tuesday amid an investigation into donations he received. All the major political parties have refused to stand candidates against him in the resulting by-election.
Speaking to The Telegraph Mr Vince said: “I want Binface to win, and I am prepared to support him – morally, verbally and financially if that works for him.”
If Mr Vince wanted to run an anti-Farage campaign in Clacton, he could only spend £700, according to the electoral commission. But he could donate up to £180,050 to Count Binface to spend on campaigning materials during a by-election.
The intervention came after Mr Farage admitted he had been caught off guard by Labour, the Tories, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and Restore Britain all refusing to stand.
It means he faces a weeks-long contest against Count Binface and a handful of minor parties.
Asked whether he had considered the possibility of being the only serious candidate, Mr Farage told the Daily Mail: “No, of course not. Why would they [not contest]? It’s a real election.”
Reform has sent out a plea to all its local branches for volunteers to help Mr Farage defeat Count Binface. The message, first reported by The Guardian, said the party “need all of our fantastic activists, branch officers and councillors to come and help us in Clacton”.
It was even sent to members in the North West, sparking speculation that campaigners could be diverted from the Greater Manchester mayoral election to bolster Mr Farage in a by-election that has been described as “a farce”.
Reform firmly denied those claims, with a spokesman insisting that the message, sent over WhatsApp, was “not targeted at one specific area or region”.
The spokesman added: “We are taking both by-elections incredibly seriously. Our campaign plans for the Greater Manchester Mayor by-election remain unchanged.”
Mr Farage is being investigated by the parliamentary authorities for donations he has received, including a gift of more than £5m from Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency billionaire.
Allegations have also emerged that he received undeclared gifts and payments from George Cottrell, a convicted fraudster, for which he could also be investigated.
Mr Farage insisted he had “done nothing wrong” and that voters in Clacton, not the media or a parliamentary committee, should be “the judges of my actions”.
Mr Vince said he thought the people of Clacton “need to know things about Farage that they probably don’t know”.
He said: “This by-election is providing the people of Clacton with the opportunity to rid the country of a very toxic person and politician who simply doesn’t care for the rules.
“So we’ve kicked around the idea of launching an information campaign about Farage, not focused on something political like immigration or climate change, but solely about Farage –who he is and what he has done.”
He added: “The whole thing is a dog’s dinner. Forcing a by-election is really, really wrong and I am hoping Binface can right the wrong on behalf of the nation. Take out the trash. It’s going to be bin day in Clacton.”
Count Binface has taken on prominent politicians at the ballot box since 2019, running against Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Sir Sadiq Khan and, most recently, Andy Burnham.
It is unclear whether Mr Vince, who has financially supported the Labour Party in the past, is a party member. But all Labour Party members must abide by party rules, which includes not supporting other political parties.
World Affairs Correspondent