MPs are allowed to put their name into a ballot for extra questions at PMQs. The last time Nigel Farage’s name was put into the ‘shuffle’ was in July
Nigel Farage’s PMQs ‘strike’ has been ridiculed after it emerged he’d not asked for a question at the weekly session in three months. The Reform UK leader theatrically flounced up to the public gallery at this week’s PMQs, moaning that he’s attacked every week by the PM and opposition without having a chance to fire anything back.
“Every week at PMQs I am attacked by the PM and Labour MPs, but have no right of reply,” he wrote on X. “I am just a mere spectator. So I have decided to spectate from the public gallery today instead.”
But the main reason he hasn’t been called for a question is because he hasn’t asked for one. As leader of a minor party, Farage gets questions allocated to him by the speaker on a rota basis, shared with other small parties like the Greens and Plaid Cymru.
But as a sitting MP, he can put his name in the hat for the lottery – known as the “shuffle” – to be called for a question at PMQs every week. Parliament records seen by the Mirror reveal the last time Farage put his name into the ‘shuffle’ was ahead of the PMQs session on 9th July. There have been five sessions of PMQs since then – and he could theoretically have had a question at all of them.
Some 15 MPs are selected from the “shuffle” each week, and party leaders including Farage, Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem leader Ed Davey are allowed to enter.
Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said: “This is classic Farage, all grievance and no graft. He’d rather play the victim instead of doing his job. He apparently doesn’t have any questions for the Prime Minister, but I suspect the people of Clacton have some questions for him.”
Reform UK has complained that Farage isn’t due a “minor party” question until November, and has only been granted six questions this year.
It’s not clear how many times Farage applied for the shuffle prior to July.