Lord Buckethead is a British political satirist. Lord Buckethead has stood in three UK General Elections against three different Conservative Party leaders and Prime Ministers. Representing the Gremloids frivolous political party, he ran against Margaret Thatcher for parliament in Finchley in 1987, and against John Major in Huntingdon in 1992. In 2017, he ran in Maidenhead, opposing Theresa May.Lord Buckethead claims to be an intergalactic space lord. His name and costume are derived from the 1984 cult sci-fi comedy Hyperspace (also known as Gremloids, the name of Lord Buckethead's party) by its writer and director Todd Durham. A candidate going by the name of Lord Buckethead has stood for parliament in several United Kingdom general elections, but on every occasion his face was obscured as he was wearing a bucket on his head. Buckethead's participation in parliamentary elections has been considered typical of a British tradition for "unorthodox candidates" in politics, having been compared to the activities of the Official Monster Raving Loony Party.
The first incarnation of Lord Buckethead was unnamed in the returning officer's declaration for the Finchley constituency in the 1987 UK general election. The current incarnation of Lord Buckethead was named as Jonathan David Harvey in the returning officer's declaration in the 2017 UK general election. In 1987, Lord Buckethead stood against Margaret Thatcher in Finchley. He campaigned to demolish Birmingham to make way for a spaceport. Buckethead received 131 votes in the ensuing General Election. In 1992, he stood in Huntingdon against John Major. He received 107 votes (0.1%) in the General Election.In June 2017, Lord Buckethead campaigned for election in Maidenhead against Theresa May. He received 249 (0.4%) votes in the ensuing General Election. In a tongue-in-cheek article, The Guardian gave Buckethead a "Best Policy" award for a manifesto pledge to bring back Ceefax. A few days following the 2017 general election, Lord Buckethead made an appearance on the American late-night show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, appearing as a comedic alternative to Theresa May as the person to lead the United Kingdom into the upcoming Brexit negotiations.
