A campaigner who would run against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election while dressed as a fox has pulled out of the race, condemning it as a 'farce'. Rob Pownall, a 27-year-old, revealed last week that he was planning to stand in the vote in an effort to draw attention to the plight of British wildlife and Farage's support for fox hunting.
Pownall's announcement last Thursday prompted a wave of comments on social media accusing him of threatening to split the 'novelty candidate' vote in Clacton. Farage critics have sought to frame the by-election as a race between the Reform leader and 'independent space warrior' Count Binface.
In a video posted last night, Pownall said: 'This by-election was already something of a farce, I think we all know that. But it's now become more of a circus than even I expected.' Citing the arrival of right-wing agitator Laurence Fox and former Married at First Sight star Luke Worley in the race, he added: 'I just don't think our cause is helped by sharing a stage with these people.'
Pownall had previously stood for Edinburgh Central in May's Scottish Parliament election while dressed as a gannet, winning 41 votes. The Clacton by-election was launched last week when incumbent MP Nigel Farage announced he would be resigning in order to stand again, facing scrutiny from the media and Parliament over undeclared donations and other support.
The line-up of candidates in the by-election includes celebrities, no-hopers, novelty candidates, and Jeremy Corbyn's brother Piers, leaving Farage facing a challenge from a variety of unusual candidates. However, it is Count Binface who has captured the public imagination as the best hope for embarrassing the Reform chief at the ballot box.
