Nigel Farage claims he didn’t attend Budget because of possible ‘physical altercation’

Farage's prayer card, which reserves an MP's seat on the backbenches, was removed before the budget started.

On Wednesday, chancellor John Healey delivered his first budget to the House of Commons.

But one person who wasn’t present in the chamber for one of the biggest days in the parliamentary calendar was the man aiming to become the country’s next prime minister, Nigel Farage.

It was reported by the Telegraph that Farage didn’t attend the budget because his prayer card – a green slip of paper that reserves a backbencher’s seat on the Commons benches – had been removed.

Later in the day, Farage was asked about the story and why he wasn’t present for the budget.

The Reform UK leader claimed that he feared he would have been involved in a “physical altercation” if he had tried to take his seat in the Commons.

He told reporters that he had “got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the chamber” at the State Opening of Parliament earlier this year.

“I didn’t make a fuss about it, I didn’t complain,” he said.

Farage claimed that his prayer card being removed meant that he was “heading towards another physical altercation.”

“Sometimes, it’s better to avoid conflict,” he added.

MPs have already started dismissing Farage’s claims.

Tory MP Alicia Kearns said the excuse about his prayer card being removed was “total bull,” writing on X that “any of the Reform MPs could have given up their seat” for Farage.

She added: “There were lots of seats without reservation, when exactly did Farage come into the chamber looking for a seat?”

Meanwhile, another Tory MP, Ben Obese-Jecty, said Farage’s reasoning was “Possibly the weakest excuse for not attending the budget I’ve ever heard.”

He pointed out that there appeared to be a space for Farage in his usual spot and asked why Reform deputy leader Richard Tice hadn’t offered up his seat, before taking a swipe at Reform’s sparsely-attended budget event earlier this week.

And there were similar arguments from Lib Dems Josh Babarinde and Tom Gordon.