Reform accuses Lib Dems of 'lying' over female MP's claim that Nigel Farage 'shoved' her at the state opening
Nigel Farage posted on X about HMRC's power to seize money from bank accounts, as he defended staying away from the Budget chamber — claiming a taken prayer card signalled he was heading for another physical altercation.Caroline Voaden lodged a complaint with the Sergeant at Arms after alleging Farage grabbed her arm or shoulder and pushed her on a staircase during the State Opening of Parliament in May.
Caroline Voaden, the Lib Dem MP for South Devon, said Farage grabbed her arm or shoulder from behind and pushed her out of his way on a staircase during the State Opening of Parliament in May, leaving a male colleague worried she might fall. She lodged a complaint with the Sergeant at Arms, who wrote to Farage requesting an apology that, according to Voaden, was never given.
Farage himself raised the incident on Wednesday, saying he had skipped the Budget to avoid 'another physical altercation' after a prayer card without a valid timestamp was taken from him.
Reform accused the Lib Dems of 'lying', citing footage showing Farage and Voaden walking together — but Lib Dem MP Max Wilkinson said the shove had already taken place before the recording began.
Voaden pushed back against suggestions she had been rattled: 'I may be a woman, but I'm not the snowflake here.'
