Reform MP suspends himself from party

Reform MP James McMurdock has suspended himself from the party.

In a statement, Reform chief whip Lee Anderson said it is implicit allegations astir his concern affairs published successful a nationalist newspaper. Mr McMurdock has denied immoderate wrongdoing.

The connection said: "I person contiguous received a telephone from James McMurdock who has advised me, arsenic Chief Whip, that helium has removed the enactment whip from himself pending the result of an probe into allegations that are apt to beryllium published by a nationalist newspaper.

"The allegations subordinate to concern propriety during the pandemic and earlier helium became an MP.

"At Reform UK we instrumentality these matters precise earnestly and James has agreed to cooperate successful afloat with immoderate investigation.

"We volition not beryllium commenting further astatine this moment."

A Sunday Times nonfiction claims that companies helium owned received a full of £70,000 from the government's Covid Bounce Back indebtedness strategy contempt being efficaciously dormant.

One had nary employees and negligible assets but borrowed £50,000, the insubstantial reports. That meant it should person had a turnover of £200,000.

Another was dormant until January 31, 2020. Over the pursuing year, it borrowed £20,000, which would person required turnover of £100,000 nether the Bounce Back scheme.

Neither filed accounts oregon firm filings aft the loans, which the insubstantial says is simply a usurpation of the Companies Act.

In his ain connection Mr McMurdock said helium had told a writer moving connected the communicative that "all my concern dealings had ever been conducted afloat wrong the instrumentality and successful compliance with each regulations".

The MP wrote successful a station connected X that helium had asked for the whip to beryllium suspended arsenic a "precautionary measure" and "for the extortion of Reform UK".

Mr McMurdock joined Reform UK successful 2024 aft having worked successful the banking sector. In past year's general election, helium was elected arsenic the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock.

He bushed Labour by a whisker, winning by 98 votes, taking the spot from the Conservatives.

It marks the latest incidental of a Reform MP having the enactment whip removed. Rupert Lowe was suspended successful March implicit alleged threats of carnal unit towards the party's past president Zia Yusuf.

The allegations were past referred to the Metropolitan Police, who aboriginal said Mr Lowe would not beryllium charged.

The MP for Great Yarmouth has ever denied wrongdoing and claimed helium was the unfortunate of a witch hunt aft speaking retired against enactment person Nigel Farage successful the media.