2 weeks Ago
He is calling for potholes to be filled with coins, babies to be named after him and wants to wipe Great Yarmouth off the map. But His Excellency Freeman nevertheless believes he is the most dedicated candidate running for election to Norwich City Council. Mr Freeman, whose legal forename is Matthew, is standing as an independent candidate in the Sewell ward by-election being held next month.
While the campaign started out as a joke, the teenager says his attempt at parody has quickly turned into an eye-opening experience. Mr Freeman with his election forms (Image: His Excellency Freeman) Mr Freeman's campaign includes pledges to demolish Sewell Park Academy and neighbouring homes to create space for American chain restaurant Cracker Barrel, putting tariffs on productions imported into NR3 and declaring Sewell as a sovereign nation. The Sir Isaac Newton Sixth Form student said he only learned of the by-election the day before nominations closed and hurriedly put together an application.
He said: "With Sewell, it was love at first sight. I want to devote my life to it and the people who live there." Mr Freeman described the nomination process as "nerve-wracking" due to having had his eighteenth birthday just two weeks prior - raising questions at City Hall about his eligibility as he was underage when the election was called.
However, his application was processed successfully. He said: "To start with, this was just a joke. But we have been campaigning more than most of the other candidates.
"It has been really interesting to see who puts in the effort." READ MORE: Pub getting 'new lease of life' as refurb begins Mr Freeman litter picking in NR3 (Image: His Excellency Freeman) Mr Freeman's manifesto also outlines the activities he would commit himself to if he is elected to the council. These include destroying Great Yarmouth, renaming the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of Sewell, and legally naming every baby after him.
He says he has been known by the nickname of 'His Excellency' since high school after using the title on his exam forms. The other candidates standing in the Sewell by-election are Valerie Brind for Reform UK, Paul Guille for Labour, Simon Jones for the Conservatives, Jenny Knight for the Greens, and Marlowe North for the Lib Dems. POLITICAL PARODY Candidates in elections can choose to have their commonly used name appear on the statement of persons nominated, notice of poll and ballot papers, instead of their legal name.
Councils must take the details provided in candidate nomination forms at face value and accept the nomination if it meets the requirements. They do not have the power to investigate or research the information provided by the candidate. This means His Excellency Freeman is a legitimate candidate in the Sewell by-election.
READ MORE: Book reveals what life was like for Norfolk family businesses 135 years ago Count Binface, a self-described intergalactic space warrior (Image: Aaron Chown) Count Binface is one of the best-known satirical characters to have stood in British elections, a self-described intergalactic space warrior who has previously bid to be mayor of London. Others who stood in the last General Election include Elmo, otherwise known as Bobby "Elmo" Smith, who zeroed in on Sir Keir Starmer’s constituency seat in Holborn and St Pancras. While the independent candidate received the least votes, social media users enjoyed seeing his red costume next to Sir Keir on stage during the Labour leader's victory speech.
Sir Keir Starmer (left) gives a victory speech watched by Nick the Incredible Flying Brick (second right) and Bobby Elmo Smith (right) (Image: Stefan Rousseau) While Elmo did not fare too well in the count, another quirky candidate with a particular love of baked beans managed to score 618 votes from constituents in Aberafan Maesteg, Wales. Captain Beany, who stood as an independent in the General Election and who started out in politics in 1991, came sixth place in the constituency. Barmy Brunch, representing the Official Monster Raving Loony Party, well-known for its deliberately bizarre policies, attempted to win a seat in Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg's former constituency of North East Somerset and Hanham at the polls.
The candidate wore a balaclava depicting two fried eggs for eyes, a tomato for a nose, a sausage for a mouth and covered in baked beans..
