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

On Thursday, Reform UK's Zia Yusuf was gloating that a hard-left party led by Jeremy Corbyn meant the odds of Nigel Farage becoming PM had narrowed further.

But now that James McMurdock's self-suspension over "business propriety" allegations means Reform UK is down from five MPs to four - again - it's Reform's rivals who are gloating.

"Does Farage think he [McMurdock] is fit to be an MP?" demanded Labour's chair, Ellie Reeves, while the Conservatives claimed: "Reform are perpetually in chaos…"

Despite garnering 14.3% of the votes in the general election a year ago, Mr Farage's party won just five seats. Then there were four, after Rupert Lowe was ousted in March.

Then, after Sarah Pochin's triumph in the Runcorn and Helsby by-election in May, it was five again. And now it's four again. For now, at least.

A defiant Mr McMurdock is fighting back and says he only removed the party whip from himself as a precaution and to protect Reform UK.

"All my business dealings [have] always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations," he wrote on X on Saturday.

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.

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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".

And Mr Farage has revealed: "He wasn't vetted." The Reform UK leader has also claimed his party was "stitched up" by a firm it contracted to vet candidates.

Now Mr McMurdock is claiming he's been stitched up - by The Sunday Times.

He's also come out fighting against the allegations, insisting "appropriately qualified professionals had reviewed all activity" and confirmed compliance with the law.

And he rebutted the paper's charge that he failed to declare a directorship in the MPs' register of interests. He says he completed his entry with the support of the parliamentary authorities.

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That hasn't stopped Labour demanding an inquiry by the parliamentary committee for standards. After all, we've seen Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs in recent weeks taking every opportunity to attack Reform UK.

In Reform UK's defence against vetting lapses, it's claimed that an insurgent party is bound to attract mavericks. But amid the heady talk of a Reform UK government at the next election, Mr Farage has a cunning plan.

He's now talking about following Gordon Brown's example and recruiting GOATS, a "government of all the talents". Mr Brown appointed former CBI boss Digby Jones and Lord West, the former First Sea Lord.

For now, though, the latest James McMurdock row is more about gloats than GOATs.