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Reform UK MP James McMurdock comes out fighting after self-suspension - as rivals gloat

Mr McMurdock strongly insists his business dealings were always lawful, compliant and checked by relevant authorities. But that hasn't stopped rival parties from revelling in the "chaos", as the number of Reform MPs drops from five to four.

The Sunday Times claims he took out £70,000 of loans during the pandemic under a government Bounce Back scheme through two companies he owned.

The paper claims one had no employees and neither filed accounts, a violation of the Companies Act, and he failed to declare one of the directorships in the MPs' register of interests.

This is not the first controversy for Mr McMurdock, whose 39th birthday was last Saturday, since he became an MP a year ago. It has been a difficult 12 months for him.

He was, in fact, never meant to become an MP. He was what's known in political jargon as a "paper candidate", picked at the last moment to fight a seat held by the Tories with a majority of nearly 20,000.

But Basildon South and Thurrock East voted 73% for Brexit, one of the highest margins of the 2016 referendum, so perhaps a shock win for Reform UK shouldn't have come as a surprise.

After a marathon recount, Mr McMurdock won by just 98 votes, with Labour second and the former Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe, who'd held the seat since 2010, third.

Before long it emerged that aged 19 he was imprisoned for a week for assaulting a former girlfriend. He's admitted it's the "biggest regret of my life".

https://news.sky.com/story/reform-uk...gloat-13392899