Nigel Farage faced criticism for his absence in questioning at the weekly PMQs session for the past three months. The leader of Reform UK made a dramatic appearance in the public gallery during this week’s PMQs, expressing frustration over being targeted by the Prime Minister and Labour MPs without the opportunity to respond.
In a statement, Farage highlighted his lack of chance to reply to the attacks directed at him during PMQs, portraying himself as a mere spectator. The main reason for not being called for a question is his failure to request one. As the leader of a minor party, Farage’s questions are allocated on a rotational basis by the speaker, alongside other small parties like the Greens and Plaid Cymru.
While he is entitled to participate in the lottery, known as the “shuffle,” to be selected for a question each week as a sitting MP, records from Parliament indicate that Farage last entered the shuffle before the July PMQs session. Despite the opportunity, he could have potentially had a question in all five PMQs sessions that followed.
The “shuffle” selects 15 MPs weekly, including party leaders such as Farage, Kemi Badenoch, and Ed Davey. Wendy Chamberlain, the Lib Dem chief whip, criticized Farage for focusing on grievances rather than fulfilling his responsibilities, suggesting that the people of Clacton may have questions for him.
Reform UK has raised concerns about Farage not being due a “minor party” question until November, having been granted only six questions this year. The exact number of times Farage applied for the shuffle before July remains unclear.
