Farage skips budget over Commons seat row

Nigel Farage was absent from the House of Commons on Tuesday, missing Chancellor John Healey’s first budget of the session. The Reform UK leader explained his absence by pointing to a dispute over seating arrangements in the chamber.

Farage held a press conference after the budget speech. He said he gave parliament a “wide berth” because he feared another physical fight. The trigger was a green paper slip, known as a prayer card, that had been removed from his reserved seat.

The leader said the situation had turned physical before. “At the state opening of parliament, I got involved in, I didn’t want to, but I got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the chamber,” he said. He noted that he did not make a fuss at the time but saw the current setup as a path toward another conflict.

Farage said he spent the time reviewing the budget with his economists. He also used the press conference to criticize the government’s new support for Ukraine. He described himself as “shocked” by the £10 billion package.

A spokesperson for the House of Commons confirmed the protocol behind the seat removal. The statement said a prayer card placed on a seat did not display a valid date stamp. It was removed in line with usual chamber rules for reserving seats.

On fiscal policy, Farage criticized the increase in machine-games duty on gambling shops. He argued the change would hurt the horse-racing industry and push gambling offshore or into cryptocurrency. He reaffirmed Reform UK’s plan to cut capital gains tax on crypto to 10%, calling it a way to incentivize investors into a regulated system.

Regarding Ukraine, Farage said he was concerned the money would be swallowed by corruption. He expressed more worry about Vladimir Putin’s rationality than at any other point in the conflict. He also compared the new budget to the one delivered by Liz Truss in 2022, stating he liked the initial lines but noted they failed to cut spending.

Farage also addressed the conviction of Tommy Robinson for harassing journalists. He called Robinson’s behavior “very wrong” but suggested party members would not be penalized for admiring him. He said liking a social media message does not make supporters “full-blown marchers”.