Nigel Farage has said he skipped the Budget in the Commons to avoid a "physical altercation", after clashing with another MP at the State Opening of Parliament.
The Reform UK leader was absent from the chamber as Chancellor John Healey delivered his statement, and later explained his decision at a Reform press conference.
Reason for absence
Mr Farage said: "At the state opening of Parliament, I got involved ... 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 given that my prayer card had been removed, I was heading towards another physical altercation. Just sometimes it's better to avoid conflict. That's one reason."
He added: "Second reason is actually I sat going through the Budget with our team of economists in the office, so I actually had the time to go through it line by line."
Budget assessment
Mr Farage described the Budget as "a retail Budget aimed at an early general election", adding: "It doesn't overall do very much, but it attempts to please a very large number of people."
In his Budget, Mr Healey announced that millions of households will receive £100 to help with soaring energy bills and high street firms will get a tax break.
