For each general election the United Kingdom holds, there are a handful of novelty candidates who often succeed in blurring the lines between politics and satire.
Among the more than 4,500 candidates standing for parliament on Thursday are those from fringe parties, single-issue campaigners, and, in a peculiarly British tradition, those who are simply making fun of the whole thing.
The crop of eccentrics running for government in includes an AI chatbot, a London pub, and an intergalactic space lord.
The tradition took off in the 1980s, when the Official Monster Raving Loony Party — with the motto "Vote for Insanity" — registered as a political party and fielded two candidates.
All a candidate needs to stand to become a member of parliament is a £500 ($950) deposit and 10 supporting signatures.
"There's aspects of this that have to do with the UK sense of humour and our traditions of satire and mockery," Andrew Blick, a politics professor at King's College London, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
But he said politics may have become "in some senses more ridiculous" in recent years, making it "ripe for satire".
"I think they do have some value: they attract attention to the system. Some of the issues they raise, though they do it in a humorous way, are serious issues," he added.
Sometimes, the joke works: the furry mascot of Hartlepool football club, H'Angus the Monkey, actually won the town's 2002 mayoral contest. Pubs being permitted to open all day — now a reality — was once merely a Loony policy.
Count Binface
Former prime minister Boris Johnson ran against Count Binface in the 2019 election. Source: AAP / Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP
His pledges include building at least "one affordable home" and national service for all former prime ministers.
He has also proposed nationalising the singer Adele.
Binface — the alter-ego of comedian Jon Harvey — ran against former prime minister Boris Johnson in the 2019 general election. He also ran in London's mayoral race this year, in which he beat the far-right Britain First party by 4,000 votes.
"In the UK, anybody, literally anybody, is free to stand in an election, no matter how idiotic the get-up," he told AFP.
He added that the British political system "fosters the eccentricity, the wonderment and the humour of politics".
Elmo
Elmo has stood in multiple UK elections. Source: AAP / Stefan Rousseau/PA/Alamy
Like Count Binface, Elmo has stood in numerous elections.
But Bobby Smith, the man in the furry red outfit, is seeking to make an earnest political point and wants to change the law on fathers' rights.
The Mitre pub
The Mitre, a pub in southwest London, has been registered as a political party. Source: Facebook / The Mitre TW9
"Just about the easiest thing I've ever done," French said of the process of registering the Mitre as a party.
"I just typed 'how to register as a political party' into Google."
With his pub slowly recovering after the COVID-19 pandemic and feeling the pinch of the cost of living crisis, French looked to the democratic process for its untapped marketing potential rather than its ability to affect policy change.
For £500 ($950) — a snip compared to the price of online marketing — he could have his pub name and address "advertised" on the ballot paper seen by the 77,000 people over the age of 18 in his local area.
His only aim? "I'd like to not come last. But if I do beat any political parties — I'm a pub without a manifesto — they should probably quit politics," he added.
AI Steve
AI Steve's policies are created and approved by locals. Credit: AI Steve
The physical face of the campaign is its creator Steve Endacott, with the AI platform promising to be an MP you can talk to "anytime, anywhere".
Its policies, which are created and approved by locals, according to its website, include expanding prison capacity and improving cycling in the area.
On issues such as immigration and climate, AI Steve is generally left-leaning, including supporting "practical" climate policy, LGBTIQ+ causes and "inviting those we need to support the economy".
AI Steve told AFP it was running "to make a difference" and one of its strengths was that it would not be "swayed by emotions or special interests".
But it then glitched as it tried to explain the advantages of technology.
The rest
The veterans of the UK comedy candidate genre, the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, are fielding 22 candidates this year, including leader Howling 'Laud' Hope, Baron Von Thunderclap, and Earl Elvis of East Anglia.
The Psychedelic Movement Party candidate in Southend is standing on pledges to ignore the law and open 24-hour cannabis cafés.
