Reform UK leader misses budget speech over seating dispute fears

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, was absent from the House of Commons for the Chancellor's first budget presentation. He cited a fear of getting into a physical altercation with another member of parliament as the primary reason for his absence. The dispute stemmed from a disagreement over seating arrangements in the chamber.

Farage held a press conference following the budget to explain his decision. He stated that he had decided to give parliament a wide berth because another MP had removed a green prayer card that had been placed on a seat to reserve it for him. Farage noted that a similar situation had turned physical during the state opening of parliament, where he was involved in an altercation he did not want to have.

He explained that while he did not make a fuss about the previous incident, the removal of his current prayer card suggested another conflict was imminent. "I could see, given that my prayer card had been removed, I was heading towards another physical altercation," he said. He added that avoiding conflict was one reason for his absence, while the second reason was that he was reviewing the budget line by line with economists in his office.

A spokesperson for the House of Commons clarified that the prayer card was removed because it did not display a valid date stamp. The spokesperson noted that there are long-established arrangements for members to reserve seats using prayer cards with valid dates, and the removal was in line with usual chamber protocol.

In his response to the budget, Farage expressed shock at the 10 billion pounds allocated to support Ukraine. Speaking alongside Robert Jenrick, his party's Treasury spokesperson, Farage said he did not mind the amount provided he could be assured it would not be swallowed up by corruption. He described himself as worried about the rationality of Vladimir Putin but emphasized his concern that the money would be spent properly.

Farage also defended his party's policy on cryptocurrency, which includes cutting capital gains tax on crypto assets. He argued that a 10% tax rate would incentivize people to enter the regulated system, bringing crypto in from the cold. He maintained that this policy would not specifically benefit his major donors overall.

The Reform leader criticized the extra taxation on gambling shops through higher machine-games duty. He warned that this would be bad for the horse-racing industry and could drive gambling offshore and through crypto. He also suggested that the small giveaways in the budget indicated a general election might be held in May next year, adding that Reform would be ready for one as early as December.

When asked about the 2022 budget under Liz Truss, which he had previously praised, Farage said he had liked the top lines but misunderstood that spending was not cut. He stated that the main lesson from that period was that radical spending cuts would have allowed for greater tax reductions.

Farage also addressed the conviction of Tommy Robinson for harassing journalists. He said Robinson's behavior had obviously been very wrong but suggested that Reform members would not be penalized for admiring him. He noted that liking a social media message did not make someone a full-blown marcher in support of the cause.

Despite his previous admiration for the Russian president and his 2024 suggestion that the west provoked Russia's invasion, Farage has supported the UK's position in the war. He declined to repeat Donald Trump's harsher criticisms of Kyiv during the press conference.