Previously, Binface, known for being a satirical candidate in British elections, had never garnered more than 308 votes in a parliamentary election. Facing Farage, he received 9,455 votes, which meant 28 percent of voters chose the comedic figure with a bin on his head.
Farage avoided the leisure center vote count on Friday, dodging the slight awkwardness of celebrating victory alongside Binface, a situation three prime ministers — Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, and Andy Burnham — had encountered before.
At his own “Farage Fest” event, kept secret from the results venue, he mentioned being alerted by Essex Police of an “organized campaign to disrupt and degrade the result.”
“I’m not scared of these people, far from it,” he told supporters. “But I refuse to stand on a stage, after achieving a resounding victory — a clear endorsement of everything I’ve tried to stand for, and you’ve fought for — only to be demeaned and humiliated by nobodies. Regrettably, I will not be attending the count.”
This decision reportedly made Farage the first winning candidate not to attend the result announcement since IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands won in Fermanagh and South Tyrone in 1981.
Instead, at his event featuring branded pint cups, a ferris wheel, and yurts for overnight stays, Farage criticized the media and the “establishment.” It was another effort to reshape the norms of mainstream politics to his favor.
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