Nigel Farage Claims He Dodged The Budget To Avoid A 'Physical Altercation'

Nigel Farage has alleged that he skipped the Budget to avoid a “physical altercation” with another MP. The Reform UK leader claimed he previously clashed with an unnamed politician in the House of Commons during the State Opening of Parliament in May this year over seats. The Clacton MP said the slip of paper he had placed to reserve a place on the packed benches today was removed, and he “didn’t want to make a fuss”. MPs can reserve a position on the benches during well-attended events in the Commons by placing a green slip of paper in the slot above a seat at the start of each session.

At least six other Reform MPs, including deputy leader Richard Tice , were in the chamber. Farage told journalists: “I didn’t want to, but I got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the chamber. I didn’t make a fuss about it. “I didn’t complain, but I could see that – given that my prayer card had been removed – I was heading towards another physical altercation.” The Reform MP said “sometimes it’s better to avoid conflict” so he watched the first Budget from Andy Burnham’s government from his office.

He said that meant he “team of economists” and analyse it “line by line”. “It was actually more useful to me to sit in the office with a team of economists around me,” he said. “But I was going to go to PMQs , but I could see potential conflict. “And being a very quiet, shy, modest kind of person, I decided to give it a wide berth.” Reform UK has not revealed who the MP in question was. Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy.

Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.