Farage and Lib Dems Clash Over Claim He Pushed an MP in the House of Commons
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- Nigel Farage mengaku terlibat insiden fisik dengan anggota parlemen lain saat Pembukaan Parlemen, Mei lalu, yang belakangan diungkap sebagai Caroline Voaden dari Lib Dem.
- Lib Dem menuduh Farage sengaja mendorong Voaden, sementara kubu Reform UK membantah dan menuduh lawan politiknya berbohong.
- Insiden ini mencuat hampir enam bulan kemudian setelah Farage absen dari pemungutan suara Anggaran dan memicu perdebatan etika di parlemen.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and Liberal Democrat (Lib Dem) MP Caroline Voaden have traded accusations over a physical incident in the House of Commons. The dispute surfaced after Farage admitted to a "physical altercation" with another MP at the State Opening of Parliament in May, and chose to miss the Budget vote on Wednesday (26/11) to avoid a repeat.
Voaden then revealed that she was the MP Farage was referring to. Through social media, the politician from the South Devon constituency said she was "shocked and absolutely furious" over the incident. The Lib Dem side accused Farage of "trying to push" Voaden, but a source from the Reform UK Party strongly denied this and accused the Lib Dems of "lying".
Video footage first published by the Daily Telegraph shows Farage and Voaden leaving the chamber together during the state opening, but there is no clear visual evidence of any meaningful clash. Voaden herself stressed that the incident she experienced was not captured in the circulating clip. As of this report, official parliamentary footage has also not captured the moment.
In her statement, Voaden laid out her version of events. She said that on the day of the King's Speech, Farage missed the chance to walk in procession with other party leaders to the House of Lords. Instead of queuing with the others, Farage was said to have pushed her out of the line. "That kind of behavior is unacceptable in any workplace, and it is not acceptable in the House of Commons," Voaden said. "Pushing a colleague on the stairs shows how little respect he has for Parliament and for other MPs."
Lib Dem Deputy Leader Daisy Cooper, in an interview with Sky News, said, "My understanding—I didn't see it directly, I wasn't there—but my understanding is that he physically pushed one of our female MPs, and then one of our male MPs challenged him." Meanwhile, Reform UK MP Robert Jenrick told Sky News, "I'm sick of these pathetic Westminster debates."
The issue only surfaced because Farage was pressed on why he was absent from the House of Commons chamber during the budget debate on Wednesday. Farage explained, "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. I don't mind, I'm not complaining, but I could see that because my prayer card had been removed, I was heading for another physical altercation."
A House of Commons spokesperson explained that Farage's prayer card—a mechanism for MPs to reserve a seat—did not "display a valid date stamp" and was therefore "removed in line with normal chamber protocol".
"Pushing a colleague on the stairs shows how little respect he has for Parliament and for other MPs." — Caroline Voaden, Lib Dem MP
The controversy highlights the standards of conduct in the UK parliament, which has long upheld ethics. Allegations of physical violence between MPs, even if only a push, could damage the institution's image. The Reform UK Party led by Farage is known for vocally criticizing Westminster's political culture, yet this incident has put them at the center of attention. The public now waits to see whether Commons authorities will investigate further or take action against Farage. So far, parliament has declined to comment on Voaden's claim that Farage was ordered to apologize. The case is also a test of MPs' transparency and accountability amid rising political tensions between parties ahead of the next election.
