The Reform UK MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, James McMurdock, has voluntarily stepped down from the party whip while allegations concerning his pandemic-era business dealings are investigated.
The move follows a report which claims Mr McMurdock received a total of £70,000 in Bounce Back loans through two of his companies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter), Mr McMurdock said:
“All my business dealings have always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations.”
He described his decision to suspend the whip as a “precautionary measure” taken “for the protection of Reform UK.”
Lee Anderson, the party’s chief whip, confirmed Mr McMurdock’s action in a statement issued Saturday:
“James McMurdock has informed me that he has removed the party whip from himself pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations likely to be published by a national newspaper. These relate to business propriety during the pandemic, and prior to his election as an MP.”
Anderson added that Reform UK takes such matters very seriously and that Mr McMurdock had agreed to fully cooperate with any investigation. The party declined to comment further.
Media reported that Mr McMurdock’s firm, JAM Financial Limited, allegedly received a £50,000 Bounce Back Loan in 2020. A second business, Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited, reportedly obtained £20,000 the same year. Both loans would have required the companies to have annual turnovers exceeding £200,000 and £100,000, respectively.
According to the report, JAM Financial had no employees and minimal assets before the pandemic, while Gym Live had been dormant until January 2020.
Jon Pearce, Labour MP for High Peak, called for a parliamentary investigation, saying Mr McMurdock may have breached the MPs’ Code of Conduct.
Mr McMurdock’s departure from the whip leaves Reform UK with four sitting MPs, following its surprise gains at the last general election.
Mr McMurdock won his Essex seat by a narrow margin of just 98 votes over Labour in 2024. Shortly after his election, reports surfaced about a historic conviction for assaulting a former partner. Since then, he has largely stayed out of the public eye.
He is the second Reform MP to leave the party since the election. Earlier this year, Rupert Lowe was expelled following allegations of workplace bullying and threats against party chairman Zia Yusuf claims he denies. The CPS later confirmed no charges would be brought.
Reform UK has since gained one new MP, Sarah Pochin, who won the Runcorn by-election in May.
