Farage links Budget absence to earlier Commons "physical altercation"
GB News' full Reform UK press conference reaches the explanation near its end, after extended criticism of taxes, energy costs and government borrowing.
GBNews
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 288,545 views a day, 10 times a normal first day on this channel (28,568).
BREAKING: Nigel Farage reveals he skipped Budget due to ‘physical altercation’ with MP in Commons
Things we can learn from the video
Press to jump
- 4:37Jenrick proposes raising income-tax and small-business VAT thresholds, alongside cuts to energy bills.
- 9:12Farage criticizes what he describes as expanded HMRC powers to take funds directly from bank accounts.
- 14:38Farage outlines proposed government spending cuts of £40 billion in the first year, rising to £80 billion.
- 33:09Farage defends Reform's economic plans against criticism from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.
- 42:27Farage explains his Budget absence, describing an earlier physical altercation with an MP in the Commons.
Nigel Farage is well into questions from journalists when he explains why he stayed away from the Commons for John Healey's Budget speech. The answer comes near the end of GB News' press conference broadcast, rather than in the opening statements.
"I didn't want to, but I got involved in a physical altercation with an MP in the chamber," the Reform UK leader says, describing an encounter at the State Opening of Parliament earlier in the year. He says he did not complain at the time. With his prayer card removed ahead of the Budget, he says he believed another confrontation could follow and chose not to attend.
The upload has drawn roughly 190,000 views in its first 12 hours, putting it well ahead of the broadcaster's usual start for a regular video. But anyone arriving for the explanation in the headline has a substantial Budget response to get through first: Farage addresses his absence at 42:27.
Robert Jenrick opens the conference by calling the Budget a "nothing burger," then proposes higher income-tax and small-business VAT thresholds. Farage describes the package as aimed at an early election and criticizes what he says are expanded powers for HMRC to take money directly from bank accounts. Reporters subsequently press the pair on asylum accommodation, defense spending and the funding of Reform's economic plans. The account of the Commons encounter arrives in that wider questioning, not as a standalone announcement.
British politician who has led Reform UK and served as MP for Clacton since 2024. He previously led the UK Independence Party.
More on Wikipedia ›Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2026 and a Labour MP. He previously served as defence secretary from 2024 to 2026.
More on Wikipedia ›A right-wing populist and far-right political party in the United Kingdom, led by Nigel Farage since June 2024. It has eight MPs in the House of Commons.
More on Wikipedia ›MP for Newark since 2014. Originally elected as a Conservative, he joined Reform in January 2026.
More on Wikipedia ›His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, the UK government department responsible for collecting taxes and paying some forms of state support.
More on Wikipedia ›Published on Trari
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- Channel
- GBNews
- Subscribers
- 2,200,000 ▲ 10,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 4,321,524
- Video published
- October 28, 2026
- Video views so far
- 193,480 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 288,545
The numbers
The press conference is running well ahead of GB News' usual opening pace for regular videos. Its comment section is also already much busier than a typical full first day.
