Skip to content 
Nigel Farage has claimed he skipped the budget to avoid a “physical altercation” with another MP.
The Reform UK leader claims he previously fought over seats with an unnamed politician in the House of Commons during the State Opening of Parliament in May this year.
The Clacton MP said the slip of paper he put in to reserve a place on the packed benches today had been removed, and he “didn’t want to make a fuss”.
MPs can reserve a seat on the benches at well-attended events in the Commons by placing a green piece of paper in the space above a seat at the start of each sitting.
At least six other reform deputies, including deputy Richard Tice, were in the chamber.
Farage told journalists: “I didn’t want to, but I got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the House of Commons, I didn’t do anything about it.
“I didn’t complain, but I could see that – because my prayer card was taken away – I was headed for another physical altercation.”
The Reform MP said “sometimes it’s better to avoid conflict”, so he watched Andy Burnham’s government’s first budget from his office.
He said he meant “teams of economists” and analyzed it “line by line”.
“It was actually more useful for me to sit in the office with a team of economists around me,” he said. “But I would go to PMQs, but I could see potential conflict.
“And being a very quiet, shy, modest kind of person, I decided to give it a wide berth.”
Reform UK did not reveal who the MP in question was.
In response, a Home of Commons spokesperson said: “There are clear and long-established arrangements for members to reserve their own seats in the House using prayer cards with a valid date stamp.
“Today a prayer card placed on a seat did not show a valid date stamp and was removed in accordance with usual House protocol.”
HuffPost UK understands that Farage did not attend prayers and did not approach Commons staff regarding a seat reservation.
Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Each week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for a simple analysis of what’s going on in Westminster.
