The satirical politician has celebrated an unlikely election pledge being fulfilled after a badly positioned hand dryer was relocated. But another pub is refusing to follow suit because its notorious toilet appliance has become a tourist attraction.
Count Binface has claimed a rare political victory after a Southport restaurant reportedly relocated a hand dryer that featured in his 2026 election manifesto. The self-proclaimed intergalactic space warrior, who finished second to Nigel Farage in August’s Clacton by-election, has celebrated the development as proof that political promises can be delivered, even without winning an election.
A manifesto promise finally comes true
British politics has produced some unusual manifesto commitments over the years, but few can compete with Count Binface’s long-running campaign against badly positioned hand dryers.
During the Clacton by-election in August 2026, the satirical politician included a remarkably specific promise in his 20-point manifesto.
Pledge number 17 called for the hand dryer in the men’s toilets at the Great Himalayas restaurant in Southport, Merseyside, to be moved to a more sensible position.
According to reporting by Metro and The Times, the restaurant has now done exactly that.
For most politicians, relocating a bathroom appliance would barely qualify as an achievement.
For Count Binface, however, it represents a significant step forward in his mission to improve life on Earth.
And unlike many manifesto promises, this one appears to have been delivered within three months of polling day.
There is no confirmed evidence that the restaurant moved the appliance specifically because of Binface’s campaign, but that has not prevented the Count from celebrating.
Count Binface declares victory
Responding to the news, Binface told Metro he was delighted to discover that the hand dryer had been moved.
He described the decision as a victory for the men of Southport, joking that they would no longer be subjected to unwanted blasts of hot air while using the facilities.
The Count also dedicated his success to the 9,455 people who voted for him in Clacton.
He used the occasion to take a characteristically mischievous swipe at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, suggesting that achieving such an important change without being elected reflected poorly on his political rival.
On 21 October, Binface also corrected a headline that suggested the urinal itself had been relocated.
His response was simple:
“It’s the hand-dryer, not the urinal, but a win’s a win.”
The distinction is important. Nobody has reported a successful campaign to move an entire urinal.
At least, not yet.
The Uxbridge hand dryer that started it all
The Southport success is only the latest chapter in a campaign that began several years earlier.
In 2019, when Binface stood against then Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Uxbridge and South Ruislip, he identified another pressing issue at the Crown & Treaty pub in West London.
A hand dryer had been installed directly above a urinal.
This meant that someone drying their hands could potentially direct warm air towards another customer standing immediately underneath.
Binface pledged to have the appliance relocated if elected.
He even visited the pub and signed a mock treaty concerning the issue.
The campaign survived his electoral defeat and appeared in subsequent manifestos, including the 2026 Clacton campaign.
The original commitment remains documented on Count Binface’s official Handdryergate page.
Pub refuses to move its famous hand dryer
Unfortunately for Binface, the Crown & Treaty has no immediate intention of following Southport’s example.
According to Metro, the pub’s owners have discovered that the unusually positioned appliance has become an unlikely tourist attraction.
Visitors reportedly travel from considerable distances, including Somerset, to see the famous fixture for themselves.
Pub co-owner Anu Sachdeva explained that people still visit specifically to inspect the hand dryer.
Rather than risk disappointing these visitors, the owners have decided to leave it where it is.
The brothers who run the pub, Anu and Guna Sachdeva, reportedly inherited the unusual attention when they took over the business.
They initially struggled to understand why customers were so interested in an otherwise ordinary piece of bathroom equipment.
The explanation eventually became clear: their pub had become part of an intergalactic political campaign.
For the Crown & Treaty, the hand dryer has now become something of an unofficial landmark.
For Count Binface, it remains unfinished business.
The candidate who came second to Nigel Farage
Behind the unusual costume and deliberately absurd policies is comedian and writer Jon Harvey, who has contested several British elections under the Count Binface persona.
His electoral achievements reached new heights on 13 August 2026.
Standing against Nigel Farage in the Clacton by-election, Binface secured 9,455 votes, representing approximately 26.9% of the total.
Farage won the contest with 22,239 votes, but Binface finished comfortably ahead of the remaining 32 candidates.
The figures are confirmed by the official UK Parliament election results.
His campaign mixed deliberate absurdity with more recognisable political concerns.
Among his manifesto proposals were building at least one affordable home, limiting the price of 99 Flake ice creams to 99p, improving arcade grabber machines and holding a referendum on whether Pluto should regain its planetary status.
There was also his proposal to move Parliament temporarily to the Essex village of Weeley.
Some of the policies were obvious jokes. Others were designed to draw attention to everyday problems or highlight the promises made by mainstream politicians.
And then there was the Southport hand dryer.
That particular promise has now reportedly become reality.
One victory secured, another campaign continues
Count Binface has called on the Crown & Treaty to follow Southport’s example and relocate its own hand dryer.
Whether the pub eventually agrees remains to be seen.
The situation presents an unusual political dilemma.
Moving the hand dryer would fulfil a longstanding manifesto commitment. Keeping it in place preserves a tourist attraction that exists largely because of the campaign to remove it.
Either way, the Count has managed something that many politicians struggle to achieve: getting people interested in a manifesto pledge years after it was first announced.
And there is something rather refreshing about a politician celebrating the delivery of a promise that does not involve billions of pounds, a new government department or another lengthy consultation.
Sometimes political progress really is as simple as moving a hand dryer.
Southport has declared victory. Uxbridge, meanwhile, is holding firm.
