James McMurdock, a Reform MP with a controversial past, was questioned by Sky News at a party conference about his previous conviction
South Basildon: So, there’s this MP, James McMurdock, who’s been in the news lately. He’s part of Reform UK, a party that’s trying to make a name for itself. They’re not shy about stirring the pot to get attention.
This week, Elon Musk gave them a boost by sharing their views on his platform, X. It’s helped them grab some headlines as they kick off the new year.
They’ve had a couple of conferences back-to-back, and with a small number of MPs, everyone gets a chance to speak. But guess who wasn’t on the agenda? Yep, James McMurdock.
Even though he represents South Basildon and East Thurrock, he wasn’t set to attend the East of England conference. Sky News even reported he wasn’t planning to show up at all.
Now, McMurdock’s been under fire since it came out that he was jailed almost 20 years ago for kicking his girlfriend while drunk outside a nightclub. This little detail didn’t come to light when he was running for MP.
When the news broke last July, he brushed it off as a “teenage indiscretion.” But when Sky News caught up with him at the conference, they asked if he regretted saying that.
He didn’t apologize and insisted he hadn’t lied or changed his story. He said, “I was a bad person for a moment back then,” but he’s trying to do better now.
Interestingly, he wouldn’t confirm if the party knew about his past before he became a candidate. Nigel Farage, the party leader, mentioned that McMurdock “wasn’t vetted.”
Despite the controversy, he hasn’t been suspended, and the party hasn’t said if he would pass their new vetting process for future candidates.
One Labour MP is pushing for mandatory DBS checks for anyone looking to run for parliament. McMurdock said he’d support that idea, but it’s worth noting that no Reform MP voted for it when it was proposed.
