The Liberal Democrat MP at the centre of Nigel Farage's claim that he avoided the Budget over a previous "altercation" has spoken out, accusing the Reform UK leader of "dredging up" an incident from months earlier.
Caroline Voaden, a Devon MP, told the Daily Express that Farage was "scrambling for an excuse as to why he wasn't in the Chamber for the Budget speech". Farage had said he did not attend John Healey's first Budget as Labour Chancellor because the prayer card reserving his seat had been removed, following a similar incident at the State Opening of Parliament. House authorities later said the Reform chief had not used the correct date stamp on his prayer card.
Allegations of Shoving on a Staircase
Voaden claimed that on the day of the King's Speech, Farage "missed his chance to process with the other party leaders to the Lords, and rather than queue with the rest of us, he shoved me out of the way to barge past." She added that "such behaviour is unacceptable in any workplace, and it has no place in the House of Commons. Shoving a colleague out of the way on a staircase just shows the complete disdain he has for Parliament and for other MPs."
The former MEP, who worked alongside Farage in the European Parliament, questioned why he "still doesn't understand how prayer cards work over two years after being elected." She said: "It's the same old story, he just wants to be in the limelight, in front of a camera, taking centre stage rather than actually doing the job he's been elected to do. It's impossible to imagine him ever being leader of the opposition, let alone prime minister – he might actually have to show up and do some work."
Farage's Account and the Fallout
Speaking at a post-Budget press conference, Farage said: "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." He added that "sometimes it's better to avoid conflict."
Footage revealed by The Daily Telegraph appeared to show the pair involved in a ruck at the State Opening. A Reform spokesman denied any wrongdoing by Farage and claimed the Lib Dem MPs had been the aggressive ones, while the Lib Dems dismissed this as "utter nonsense".
