Nigel Farage says he did not attend the Commons for Chancellor John Healey’s Budget statement because he feared a repeat of an earlier clash with an MP. Across multiple outlets, Farage frames his absence as a decision to avoid “potential conflict” and describes concerns about the situation escalating again in Parliament.
The reports say Farage previously had an incident involving another MP around the state opening of Parliament in May, which he characterises as a “physical altercation.” Several outlets emphasise that he wanted to avoid further confrontation rather than attend and risk another confrontation. Metro also reports Farage adds a separate reason for staying away: he spent time reviewing the Budget with an economists’ team in his office.
While all accounts attribute the explanation to Farage and link it to fear of another physical altercation, they differ in how much detail they include about the May incident and whether they highlight his claim about reviewing the Budget line by line off the floor.
