Clacton by-election: is this the new face of politics in the East?

There was a time when politics in the East of England was entirely predictable. A parish council would spend six months debating the location of a bench. County councils quietly went about their business, unchallenged and unchanging, while MPs took their constituencies for granted.

Those days are over.

The East of England has become Britain's political laboratory. Or perhaps Britain's political escape room.

Take Clacton. Already famous for electing Nigel Farage to Westminster, the constituency is now preparing to welcome another challenger: Count Binface.

When politics begins to resemble satire, eventually satire feels obliged to stand for election. So, what can we expect in the event of a major upset? Well, Count Binface has pledged to cap the 99 ice cream at 99p – a populist appeal for the seaside resort. He has also pledged to nationalise Adele and build at least one affordable house. Promises that are as unlikely to be delivered as most other political announcements.

But the emergence of Count Binface isn't really about novelty. It's a symptom of something deeper. And nowhere captures that mood quite like the East of England, where local politicians can’t quite agree what they want.

"We'd very much like Whitehall to devolve more powers."

"But we'd rather not have the reorganised councils that go with it."

“Should there be one Suffolk council?

Two?

Three?"

“We don’t want a Mayor, that won’t work here”

“We want Mayoral elections brought forward”

“Should Mayors have planning powers? Should councils?”

“Should we share a Mayor?

The political conversation increasingly resembles improvised jazz.

The irony is that everyone agrees on the diagnosis. The East needs better transport. Better housing. Better skills. Better water management. Better planning. More investment. The disagreements begin immediately afterwards.

Count Binface offers remarkable clarity. And his head is literally a bin. British politics has reached the point where the joke candidate increasingly serves an important constitutional purpose. He reminds us how laughable our political discourse has become.