A comedy candidate who wears a rubbish bin for a helmet appears likely to be the sole rival to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who triggered a high-stakes byelection gamble earlier this week.

Count Binface, who describes himself as an “intergalactic space warrior and leader of the Recyclons from planet Sigma IX”, was quick to throw his large metal hat into the ring after Farage spectacularly quit parliament on Tuesday amid questions over millions of pounds in gifts.

The 62-year-old populist leader has been accused of using quit-and-recontest tactic to shake off the deepening scandal. But he says he wants voters in his seat of Clacton, in England’s south-east, to judge his actions, not what he characterises as the progressive “establishment”.

“This will be a people versus the establishment byelection” Farage said in quitting his seat on Tuesday to trigger the byelection.

“It is a chance to stick two fingers up to the entire establishment.”

There are signs that Farage’s bold gambit might have backfired, at least in its early stages. None of Britain’s major parties will field a candidate in Clacton, leaving him likely vying with only Count Binface for a return to Westminster.

“If [Mr Farage] wants to spend the summer arguing with a bin, I won’t stop him,” Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said in setting August 6 for the byelection.

For his part, Binface – the creation of London comedian Jon Harvey – appeared a bit unable to believe his luck.

“It’s earliest days yet and there is a long old road to go, but if in the unlikely event that the humans of Clacton prefer me to old Nige, then I will do my very best to represent them,” he told The Guardian.

Binface (or Harvey) is a serial contester of British elections. He has run against former prime ministers including Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson, as well as Theresa May, in his previous incarnation as Lord Buckethead. He was most recently seen standing next to Labour leadership hope, Andy Burnham, when he won last month’s Makerfield byelection to return to parliament.

Burnham with Count Binface (left) and a candidate for Protect British Wildlife. Photo: AAP

Farage won Clacton in the 2024 general election with 46.2 per cent of the vote, in Reform UK’s strongest performance nationwide. Under Britain’s first-past-the-post system, him having less than half of the total votes does make a loss to Binface at least a theoretical possibility.

Despite that, Binface has conceded he won’t win on August 6.

“My job is to celebrate and defend the wonders of British democracy,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today.

“Look at this, eh? The fact that you are interviewing me on the Today program, because all the other parties aren’t standing, says more about them than it does about me.

“Are they running scared from old Binny or do they think that Nigel’s running a cunning stunt? And I pronounced that carefully at 8.55 in the morning.”

In Clacton, a holiday destination for Londoners in the early 20th century but now a retiree hotspot surrounded by static caravan parks, voters mostly defended Farage after his sudden announcement. They said he remained the only politician they trusted with the issue of immigration, a big concern for British voters.

“Why are they going on about it?” said retiree Rosina Herriott, 78, saying that all politicians received gifts.

“It’s because of him. They’re scared of him, that’s what it is.”

Zoe Banks, a 53-year-old office worker, said she had no problem with the gifts Farage ⁠received as long as they were legal, and she did believe he was being attacked by the political establishment.

“He’ll ‌walk it,” she said ​of the vote.

“This time I might actually vote for him … if he’s not broken any rule.”

But Ray Lynaugh, a 54-year-old bus driver, disagreed.

“I dislike the man immensely,” he told Reuters.

“What he stands ​for, what he’s ‌done to the country. He is self-serving, self-centred.”

“Why people vote for him, I don’t know.”

-with AAP