Carol Malone has launched a blistering defence of Nigel Farage's dramatic protest at the last Prime Minister's Questions of 2025, accusing Westminster elites of "shouting down" the Reform UK leader because they are "terrified" of his rising influence. Speaking on the Daily Express's Daily Expresso show, outspoken columnist Ms Malone tore into the chaotic scenes at PMQs on December 17, where Mr Farage refused to take his seat in the Commons chamber, instead choosing to watch from the public gallery.

Interviewed by host JJ Anisiobi, Ms Malone echoed Mr Farage's complaint that the session is "rigged" by Labour, with the Reform UK leader repeatedly attacked by Sir Keir Starmer and backbenchers without any right of reply. Ms Malone said: "Well, they're never given the chance to talk. Whenever he has a question, they ignore his question or he gets shouted down. They make so much noise in there.

"Now, that just tells me that not only are some of the idiots in the House behaving like animals, but it also tells me they're terrified of him."

Her remarks highlight the ongoing frustration of Mr Farage: despite Reform UK surging in polls and holding five MPs, parliamentary conventions deny the party leader regular questions at PMQs, reducing him to a bystander as opponents target him freely. Mr Farage has staged gallery protests multiple times this year, vowing not to serve as a "punching bag".

Ms Malone raged: "They're terrified of him saying something that resonates with people. Most of what Labour is saying doesn't resonate with anybody, and not much from the Tories either. But Farage is quickly becoming the voice of this country."

PMQs questions are not distributed on the basis of polling strength, but through party size, the Speaker's discretion and the lottery of the ballot.

A spokesperson for the Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, said: "Like all members, any Reform MP can enter the weekly ballot for PMQs, which randomly picks the first 15 questions for the session... In addition, if the ballot doesn't provide cross-party balance, the Speaker has discretion on the day to call a Member, within the timeframe of PMQs, who is bobbing in order to achieve party balance.

"Furthermore, under a new system introduced by this Speaker to support smaller parties, the Leader of Reform is also allocated a PMQ by default every nine weeks. Of course, if any Member wishes to raise an issue in the Chamber they can do so on a point of order."

The Mirror reported that Farage has not requested a PMQs question since July.

The protest unfolded during a bruising final PMQs of the year, dominated by festive barbs and sharp exchanges. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch hammered Sir Keir over broken economic promises and soaring unemployment-which ONS data released this week confirmed has climbed to a post-pandemic high of 5.1%.

Mrs Badenoch also highlighted the disruptive five-day resident doctors' strike, which began this morning and is set to paralyse the NHS in the final countdown to Christmas.

Sir Keir countered with jibes at Reform UK over bribery allegations and resurfaced claims of schoolboy racism against Mr Farage from former Dulwich College classmates.

However, Mr Farage's absence from the benches dominated headlines, exposing what Ms Malone called a biased system silencing insurgent voices. Ms Malone predicted: "I don't have any doubt he's going to get elected. I do kind of hope the Tories and Reform go in together... and that we finally get a Prime Minister who is listening to people."

Ms Malone's fierce intervention comes amid deepening public anger at Sir Keir's 18-month-old Government, which has been battered by tax rises, stagnant growth, and NHS turmoil.

Today's inflation figures showed the rate has cooled to 3.2%, yet it remains significantly higher than the 2% target the Prime Minister promised to maintain.

With Reform UK leading polls and Mr Farage widely seen as Britain's most effective communicator, Ms Malone warned the establishment faces a reckoning. She said: "What are we going to feel like this time next year after another year of this catastrophic, blundering, hopeless Government?"

Praising Mr Farage's unique ability to connect across class divides-from council estates to the middle class-Ms Malone added: "He understands; he's tuned in to what affects people... in a way no other politician currently is."

Ms Malone concluded by noting that while the House of Commons remains characterised by shouting matches, the public is increasingly looking toward alternative voices.

She suggested that the current parliamentary culture is failing to address the concerns of the electorate, leaving a vacuum that Mr Farage is uniquely positioned to fill as his influence continues to grow across the country.