Nigel Farage has been accused of physically shoving a female Liberal Democrat MP out of his way during the King’s Speech procession, after the Reform UK leader claimed he had avoided Wednesday’s Budget because he feared another physical confrontation in Parliament.
The Liberal Democrats have identified South Devon MP Caroline Voaden as the politician involved in an incident during the State Opening of Parliament on 13 May, with party figures alleging that Farage pushed her aside while attempting to reach the front of the procession.
Farage had previously described himself as an unwilling participant in a physical altercation with another MP, claiming that the experience contributed to his decision not to attend Chancellor John Healey’s Budget speech.
But the Liberal Democrats have offered a very different account of what happened, alleging that Farage was the person responsible for the physical contact.
Voaden has also challenged Farage publicly, saying she is still waiting for an apology that he was required to write to her.
The allegations have not been independently established, and no official finding about the precise circumstances of the May incident has been confirmed in the reporting available.
Nevertheless, the dispute has raised fresh questions about Farage’s explanation for missing one of Parliament’s most important annual events.
Lib Dems accuse Farage of shoving Caroline Voaden
The latest allegations emerged after Farage told journalists that he had previously been involved in a physical altercation in the House of Commons.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper was asked about the incident during an appearance on Sky News on Thursday morning.
Cooper said she understood that Farage had physically pushed one of her female colleagues aside and that another Liberal Democrat MP had subsequently challenged him.
“My understanding – I didn’t see it, I wasn’t there – but my understanding is that he physically shoved one of our female MPs out of the way, and that one of our male MPs then challenged him on that.”
Cooper made clear that she had not personally witnessed the confrontation, and her account was based on information provided to her.
The party has identified Voaden, who represents South Devon, as the MP involved.
The accusation raises an important question about Farage’s description of the incident, because his own remarks suggested that he had become involved in a confrontation he would have preferred to avoid.
The Liberal Democrats’ version instead places responsibility for the initial physical contact on the Reform leader.
No independent footage establishing the precise sequence of events has been confirmed.
‘I’m still waiting for the apology’
Voaden herself responded to Farage’s explanation on Wednesday evening, directly challenging his account of events.
Writing on X, the Liberal Democrat MP said:
“And we both know that’s not true Nigel don’t we?
“I’m still waiting for the apology you were required to write to me… Though I won’t hold my breath.”
Her intervention suggests that the disagreement over the incident did not end when MPs left the chamber in May.
However, the details of any formal complaints process, the circumstances in which an apology was required and whether Parliament’s authorities made a finding have not been publicly established in the reporting examined.
That distinction matters because Voaden’s statement points to an outstanding dispute, but does not by itself confirm exactly what happened or whether Farage breached parliamentary rules.
The Reform leader has not, in the reporting available at the time of writing, provided a detailed public account specifically addressing the allegation that he shoved Voaden.
His previous comments acknowledged that physical contact occurred during the State Opening, but presented the incident as something he had not wanted to become involved in.
Farage says he avoided Budget to prevent another altercation
The controversy began when Farage was questioned about his absence from the House of Commons during Wednesday’s Budget.
While Chancellor John Healey was delivering the government’s economic statement, the Reform leader was elsewhere in Westminster, later holding a press conference alongside Robert Jenrick.
Asked why he had not been in the chamber, Farage said his parliamentary prayer card, used to reserve a seat, had been removed.
He claimed that attempting to take his seat might have resulted in another physical confrontation.
“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,” he told reporters.
“I didn’t make a fuss about it, I didn’t complain, but I could see given that my prayer card had been removed, I was heading towards another physical altercation.”
Farage added that sometimes it was better to avoid conflict.
He also suggested, with apparent humour, that being a quiet, shy and modest person had influenced his decision to stay away.
The explanation attracted immediate criticism from MPs across several parties, who questioned whether a seating disagreement was a credible reason for an aspiring prime minister to miss the Budget.
Farage said he had instead reviewed the Chancellor’s announcements with a team of economists in his office.
Commons authorities explain why his seat was not reserved
The dispute became more embarrassing when questions emerged about whether Farage had followed the procedure for reserving his parliamentary seat.
MPs can place a dated green prayer card on a seat in the Commons chamber, provided they follow the relevant attendance and reservation rules.
The process is particularly important on major parliamentary occasions when demand for seating is unusually high.
According to reporting by The Telegraph, Farage’s card had been removed because it did not display a valid date stamp.
A Commons spokesperson confirmed that the removal was in accordance with parliamentary procedure.
The newspaper also reported that Farage had not attended prayers or approached Commons staff about reserving his place.
Other MPs disputed the suggestion that he had been unable to find somewhere to sit.
Liberal Democrat MP Josh Babarinde said he had queued for a prayer card from 7.30am and had not seen Farage.
Conservative MP Alicia Kearns pointed out that Reform’s other MPs could have made space for their leader, while Labour MP Daniel Francis questioned why the party had not rearranged its seating arrangements.
Former Conservative minister Tom Tugendhat also dismissed Farage’s explanation as unconvincing.
The criticism centred on whether Farage had genuinely been prevented from participating in the Budget proceedings or had simply decided that attending was less useful than holding a separate press conference.
Jenrick blames ‘bolshy Lib Dem MPs’
Robert Jenrick attempted to defend his party leader during an interview with LBC’s Tom Swarbrick.
The Reform Treasury spokesman suggested that Liberal Democrat MPs had made it difficult for Farage to join the King’s Speech procession.
“As I understand it, when Nigel went to, I think it was the King’s Speech, a load of bolshy Lib Dem MPs got in the way of him and made it very difficult for him to join the procession.”
Jenrick acknowledged that he had not witnessed the incident personally.
He nevertheless suggested that the behaviour described to him had been petty and unpleasant.
His account contrasts with that of the Liberal Democrats, who allege that Farage was the person who initiated the physical contact.
When Cooper’s allegations were subsequently put to Jenrick on Sky News, he declined to engage with the details.
He said he was tired of what he described as pathetic Westminster debates and argued that Reform politicians were more interested in changing the country than participating in parliamentary arguments.
His response did not address whether Farage had physically shoved Voaden or whether the party disputed her version of events.
Daisy Cooper says Farage should explain his absence
Cooper also challenged the original explanation for Farage’s failure to attend the Budget.
She argued that he had every opportunity to follow the normal Commons procedure and reserve a seat.
Instead, she suggested, he had chosen to leave the parliamentary debate to other MPs and hold a press conference where he could command greater media attention.
The Liberal Democrat deputy leader accused Farage of making a political choice rather than being prevented from carrying out his duties.
Her criticism reflects a wider frustration among MPs over the Reform leader’s parliamentary attendance and his preference for communicating through television appearances and press conferences.
Farage maintains that his time outside the chamber was useful because it allowed him to examine the Budget with economic advisers.
But the revelation of the earlier incident involving Voaden has complicated the argument that he stayed away simply to avoid an unnecessary confrontation.
The Liberal Democrats are now questioning whether Farage’s description of himself as the unwilling participant in May accurately reflects what occurred.
Questions remain over what happened during the King’s Speech
There are now two conflicting accounts of the May incident.
Farage says he was involved in a physical altercation during the State Opening of Parliament, which he did not want and did not formally complain about at the time.
The Liberal Democrats allege that he shoved Caroline Voaden aside during the procession, and that another MP challenged him in response.
Voaden has publicly disputed his description and says a required apology has still not arrived.
Daisy Cooper has repeated the allegation while acknowledging she was not a witness, and Robert Jenrick has defended Farage without directly addressing the claim that Voaden was pushed.
The precise sequence of events has not been independently established, and there has been no publicly verified account of any formal parliamentary ruling relating to the alleged incident.
What is confirmed is that Farage missed the Chancellor’s Budget speech and subsequently cited the possibility of another physical altercation as part of his explanation.
It is also confirmed that his prayer card was removed because it did not comply with Commons procedure.
The incident involving Voaden now leaves Farage facing a more direct question than why he could not find a seat.
The Liberal Democrats say he was responsible for shoving a fellow MP out of his way during a parliamentary procession.
Voaden, meanwhile, is still waiting for the apology she says he was required to make.
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