British voters prefer Count Binface to Farage in Clacton, poll finds
A recent poll released indicates that UK voters would show a preference for Count Binface to win in the imminent Clacton by-election, to the detriment of Nigel Farage. The revelation came from a new survey.
Faced with a choice between the two candidates, 33% of British adults indicated support for Count Binface to win the contest, which was triggered by Farage’s surprise resignation this week. On the other hand, only 21% declared support for the leader of the UK Reform party.
In the same Ipsos survey, it was found that 32% of participants would not want either of them to win.
Earlier this week, bookmakers significantly reduced the chances of the comical candidate, already well-known in other by-elections, of beating Farage in Clacton. This situation occurred after the main political parties refused to present candidates, classifying the election as a “false election”.
Count Binface, a satirical figure with promises such as abolishing VAR in football, recruiting people who listen to loud music on public transport and “nationalizing Adele”, has now emerged as the main opponent.
The comedian, who calls himself an “independent space warrior” and wears a wastebasket on his head, has already participated in several elections, facing names such as Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. His most recent participation was in the Makerfield by-election, where he received 95 votes.
Farage’s decision to provoke the election dispute came amid persistent questions about a £5 million donation he received from cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, as well as gifts from convicted criminal George Cottrell.
He is currently the subject of an investigation led by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Daniel Greenberg. The inquiry seeks to determine whether his failure to declare the money, which he claims was a “gift”, upon becoming a member of parliament in 2024, breached House of Commons rules.
The Ipsos poll also revealed that 74% of voters think the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner should investigate whether the leader of the UK Reform party broke parliamentary standards. Additionally, 73% say the investigation should continue, even if Farage emerges victorious in the by-election.
Analyzing the results, Keiran Pedley, Ipsos UK research director, highlighted: “It’s important to remember that Clacton voters, not the general public, will be taking part in the next by-election. However, the figure that just one in five Brits would prefer Nigel Farage to win demonstrates the decline in his personal popularity over the last year, even with overwhelming support from Reform UK voters.”
He added: “Elsewhere in the survey, we noted a strong consensus for inquiries into parliamentary standards to proceed regardless of whether Farage wins the by-election. This indicates that a potential victory will not cause these issues to be forgotten.”
It is worth noting that Nigel Farage’s move to force a new election followed recurring questions about a £5 million donation from Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency billionaire, and gifts received from George Cottrell, a convicted criminal.
Farage had dramatically announced his departure from parliament and the calling of a by-election in his Clacton ward, in which he himself would stand, claiming he was the victim of an “establishment conspiracy”.
The Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Green and Labor parties have confirmed that they will not present candidates in the supplementary election. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described the election as “bogus”, while Sir Keir Starmer called it “a desperate political ploy”.
Although Reform UK has been rising in the polls for months and Farage appears to have enjoyed support in his former constituency of Clacton, a YouGov survey of British adults indicates that more people consider the party “dishonest” than the Labor or Conservative parties.
According to this new YouGov poll, 73% of Brits believe the leader of Reform UK is “dishonest”, and 69% express the same opinion about the party.
Of this total, 56% classified Farage as “very dishonest”, and a further 17% considered him “fairly dishonest”. Interestingly, 40% of those who voted for Reform UK in the previous election currently see it as dishonest.
Beatriz Lima é colaboradora da redação do Mix Vale, portal de notícias com cobertura de Brasil e mundo. Produz conteúdo nas editorias de economia e benefícios, com foco em informação de serviço para o leitor brasileiro. Escreve para o portal desde 2024.
