Who is Count Binface and why is he taking on Nigel Farage?

Count Binface is actually an Oxford graduate called Jonathan Harvey, but he's been going around dressed up as a bin for a number of years now.

He's been standing in various by-elections that we've had and got a few hundred votes, but this time it's got serious.

because the bin himself is on course to get thousands of votes in this particular contest against Nigel Farage.

How has that happened? Well, basically all the main parties stood aside when Nigel Farage resigned his Westminster seat to fight this by-election saying, we're not being part of Nigel Farage's circus.

That cleared the way for opposition, any opposition to Nigel Farage to coalesce around any particular candidate who was standing in the by-election.

Step forward, Count Binface, who, in all the opinion polls, is running second to Nigel Farage.

So

Um, I quote, "If a policy doesn't work for the people here, it shouldn't be introduced." Does that work with foreign policy?

No, it doesn't.

You can't apply a Makerfield Test to foreign policy.

I mean, obviously, uh, as we've just heard, the UK did get a favorable deal, uh, from Donald Trump in terms of, of tariffs.

It's Andy Burnham's job to maintain good relations with Donald Trump, uh, so that his constituents in Makerfield, Andy Burnham's constituents there, uh, can continue to enjoy the fruits of that deal.

But I think it's gonna be mighty difficult.

I mean, it was rather ominous that Donald Trump firstly dismissed him, saying he was just mayor of a town, and secondly, uh, equally dismissively, said he was very liberal.

Do you expect that to continue?

Jonathan Tonge, is it all over now for Starmer? Is it time for the Chief Whip to step into his office with that metaphorical bottle of whiskey and a revolver and tell him to do what's best for the country? I mean, that would lead us to the seventh PM in just 10 years.

It is all over for Keir Starmer.

I mean, there's simply no way he can survive the leadership challenge from Andy Burnham, uh, when it comes.

The electorate, if there was to be a contest between, uh, those two individuals, the electorate, those who would vote on who the next Labor leader will be, will be Labor Party members and those who are affiliated to the Labor Party through trade unions.

The surveys that have been done so far suggest that Andy Burnham is well ahead of Keir Starmer in terms of popularity amongst, uh, those who would have a vote on the issue.

So I think the logical thing for Keir Starmer to do is to resign with dignity.

It may be, uh, very unfair in some ways.

Uh, Jonathan Tung, how big of a error of judgment was it on Starmer's behalf to appoint Lord Mandelson in spite of all those warnings?