Mr Fishfinger will not be standing in the Clacton by-election

A Doncaster man who dresses as a fish finger and calls himself Mr Fishfinger will not be one of 33 candidates standing against Reform UK leader Nigel Farage at the upcoming Clacton by-election.

55-year-old Paul Ellis had earlier indicated he could stand in the poll.

But he is not one of the 34 candidates listed on polling slips in the mammoth by election - understood to be one with the biggest field of candidates in recent history.

Mr Fishfinger, who first stood for election in 2017, had a manifesto which included replacing Admiral Nelson’s Trafalgar Square statue with Captain Birdseye and changing the national anthem to Cod Save the King.

Earlier in an interview with The Sun, he said: “I look forward to watching Mr Farage argue with an 8ft-tall intergalactic space warrior shaped as a bin and a man dressed as a fish finger.”

He went on: “I may be small fry in the political world, but the people of Clacton live by the sea and I’m from the sea, so we’re a match made in heaven.

“Say tartare to Nige. You’ll Findus much better.”

Mr Fishfinger fought his first by-election in 2017 when he stood against Lib Dem leader Tim Farron for Westmorland and Lonsdale.

The total of 34 candidates beats the previous record of 26 candidates, set at the Haltemprice and Howden by-election in July 2008, which was triggered by Tory Sir David Davis in his own seat and was ignored by the main Westminster parties.

Full list of candidates