VIDEO. Who is Earl “Garbage Man”, a strange candidate for the post of mayor of London

With his superhero cape and trash can head, Earl “Trash Head” (hence the name) began his campaign as an independent political candidate for Mayor of London. This is the second time he has attempted (not entirely seriously) to unseat outgoing mayor Sadiq Khan with a program he considers “the best in the business.”

This alien, straight from “planet Sigma-9,” according to him, concocted an entire program. Start meetings 10 minutes later to “compensate for congestion caused by speed limits”, ban all noisy food in cinemas and even rename London Bridge “Phoebe Waller Bridge” after the Fleabag actress of the same name.

If some of his proposals remain fantastic, others will turn out to be a little more serious. He pledges, among other things, to set a maximum price of a croissant at £1.1, reduce the salaries of politicians to the level of nurses and ensure that “the royal palaces and homes of Russian oligarchs are transferred to state ownership.” help end homelessness.” But the man behind the eccentric “Scavenger” is actually John Harvey, the British comedian. “In the UK,” he explains, hidden in his suit during a video interview, “everyone has the right to stand for election, no matter how stupid they look. I know that with people like Macron and Hollande, you pretty much understand what I’m talking about. But I think what the British system rewards most is eccentricity, wonder and humor in politics. So I say you should cherish it, you should celebrate it, and that’s why I’m here.”

Britain also has a long tradition of parody parties and candidates across its political landscape. For example, the famous Official Monster Raving Loony Party, founded in the 80s by singer and candidate Screaming Lord Sutch.

It is obviously unlikely that the candidacy of Count “Trash” will upset the election results. The comedian has already stood for mayor of London in 2021 and received almost 25,000 first choice votes and 68,000 second choice votes. The winner and current Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, received 1 million for his first choice and 400,000 for his second.