Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was absent from the Budget statement in the House of Commons on Wednesday to avoid another clash with Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden, following a "physical altercation" on the day of the King's Speech, sources have said.
The former speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, was the star guest as John Healey delivered his debut fiscal statement. Pelosi, 86, sat next to Daily Express Political Editor Martyn Brown during the proceedings and left 15 minutes into the Budget for another engagement.
Pelosi's interest in Commons rules
Pelosi was enthralled by Prime Minister's Questions, which took place in the 30 minutes beforehand, telling Brown it is "far more raucous" than on TV. "I loved it," she said. The veteran Democrat asked why some MPs stood at the far end of the Chamber facing the Speaker's chair. Brown explained it is a space issue, as the chamber has only 427 seats for 650 MPs, and those MPs are not allowed to ask questions because they are behind the Bar of the House, a white line on the floor.
Historically, this line represents the Commons' independence from the monarchy. No reigning monarch has crossed the Bar of the House since King Charles I breached it in 1642 to arrest five MPs, an act that triggered the English Civil War.
Altercation details and conflicting accounts
Mr Farage claimed he was not in the chamber on Wednesday because he wanted to avoid another clash with the South Devon MP after seeing his seat reservation had been removed. A Lib Dem source said Ms Voaden had been "shocked and bloody angry" by the incident in May and accused Mr Farage of "gaslighting" her about it. The source said: "He seems to be suggesting that he was the victim, when the reality was quite the opposite."
Monica Harding, another Lib Dem MP, claimed Mr Farage had "shoved a female MP out of the way, sending her flying so he could get to the front of the procession for the King's Speech". However, a Reform source said: "It's not true at all – it was the Lib Dem MPs being aggressive towards Nigel. This is typical Lib Dem dishonesty in an attempt to stay relevant."
Prayer card dispute and aftermath
Sources close to Mr Farage claimed that his prayer card – a green slip of paper that backbenchers use to reserve a spot on the green benches – had been moved so he no longer had a space. However, the House of Commons said Mr Farage's prayer card "did not display a valid date stamp and was removed in line with the usual Chamber protocol".
It is also understood that Mr Farage did not attend prayers on Wednesday and did not approach House of Commons staff regarding a seat reservation. Unlike Kemi Badenoch, the Tory leader, and Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Mr Farage would not have had the automatic right to respond in the chamber. Instead, the Reform UK leader gave a press conference in the hours after the Budget outside of the Houses of Parliament alongside Robert Jenrick, his Treasury spokesman.
