Reform UK leader skips Budget speech, citing a possible clash while opting for economist-style damage control
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Nigel Farage stayed away from John Healey's Budget presentation, saying a removed prayer card signaled the risk of a confrontation, and he preferred to dissect the Budget with his own team instead of facing Parliament.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he stayed away from Chancellor John Healey's Budget speech in the House of Commons to avoid a possible physical confrontation, in a scene that underscored the increasingly performative and agitated atmosphere around Westminster. Farage explained that his prayer card, used by MPs to reserve a seat, had been removed earlier in the day, and he had previously been involved in an altercation with another MP during the state opening of Parliament on May 13.
"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," Farage told reporters.
He added that reviewing the Budget with a team of economists in his office was more productive and that he had considered attending Prime Minister's Questions but decided against it to prevent further conflict.
A House of Commons spokesperson confirmed that the prayer card was removed because it lacked a valid date stamp, as required by chamber protocol.
During a press briefing, Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick criticised the Budget, describing it as insufficient to address the country's economic challenges and saying a proposed one-off £100 payment for energy costs would not solve the problem.
Farage also criticised the Budget, calling it a "retail Budget aimed at an early general election" and warning that its measures could lead to higher living costs under a future Labour government. He praised Healey's delivery as assured and competent, but cautioned that some measures might conceal a broader political agenda.
Regarding the additional funding for Ukraine, Farage said he was concerned about the proper use of the money and expressed worry about Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions.