Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden has said she was “shocked and bloody angry” after a physical altercation with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage in the Commons.
In a social media post directed at Mr Farage, Ms Voaden said she was “still waiting for the apology you were required to write to me”. The incident is understood to have taken place at Parliament’s state opening earlier this year.
Accusations of shoving
Lib Dem deputy leader Daisy Cooper accused Mr Farage of having “physically shoved” one of her party’s female MPs. The claim followed Mr Farage’s statement that he skipped John Healey’s Budget to avoid a possible “physical altercation” in the Commons.
The Reform UK leader said his parliamentary prayer card, which MPs use to reserve a seat in the chamber, had been removed on Wednesday. He told a post-Budget press conference that he wanted to “avoid conflict” in the chamber, after claiming he had been involved in an altercation with another MP at the state opening of Parliament on May 13.
A House of Commons spokesperson later said Mr Farage’s prayer card was removed because it did not have a valid time stamp.
Voaden responds
Ms Voaden, the MP for South Devon, said on X: “Shocked and bloody angry I think… it takes more than that to shake me.
“I may be a woman, but I’m not the snowflake here.”
In an earlier post, she wrote: “I’m still waiting for the apology you were required to write to me… Though I won’t hold my breath.”
The Liberal Democrats had indicated one of their MPs was the other person involved in the May altercation to which Mr Farage was referring.
Conflicting accounts
Ms Cooper was asked by Sky News whether there was an incident at the state opening. She told the broadcaster, without naming Ms Voaden: “There was, and it was during the state opening of Parliament.
“My understanding – I didn’t see it, I wasn’t there – but my understanding is that he physically shoved one of our female MPs out of the way, and that one of our male MPs then challenged him on that.
“I didn’t see it, I didn’t witness what happened, but that was several months ago.
“Let’s be really clear: it’s Reform UK that had a problem at their conference with bundling female journalists and members out of their hall. So, we’ll take no lessons from them on this.”
Ms Cooper had earlier told Sky: “Nigel Farage had every opportunity to get his prayer card in yesterday and get a space in Parliament, but as a leader of a very small party, he would have to have waited several hours to have the opportunity to speak.
“So, let’s be really clear about the choice that Nigel Farage made yesterday. He basically decided that he couldn’t be arsed to sit in the chamber and listen to the Chancellor’s speech and everybody else responding, and instead chose to go and do a press conference so he could get on to the airwaves. That’s the choice that he has made, and he should just come clean about that.”
The broadcaster later asked Reform Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick to respond to the accusations. He told Sky: “You know what? I am sick to death of these pathetic Westminster debates.
“The thing about Reform politicians is, yeah, we love Parliament, the institution of Parliament. I go there every day. I speak in Parliament. I represent my constituents.
“But I’m much more interested about, actually, the issues, trying to change this country, getting out and about outside of the bubble. I’m not interested in even responding, dignifying the nonsense that Daisy Cooper is talking about there.”
Reform officials said Ms Cooper’s account was not true and insisted it was the Lib Dem MP who was acting aggressively.
