A Reform MP, James McMurdock, has given up the party whip while he is investigated over allegations about his business conduct during the coronavirus pandemic.
Lee Anderson, the party’s chief whip, made the announcement on Saturday, saying it related to accusations due to be made public in a national newspaper.
The allegations were about “business propriety during the pandemic and before he became an MP”, Anderson said.
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McMurdock, 39, was a political unknown when he took the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock by 98 votes in last year’s general election.
He subsequently admitted having been convicted of assaulting his girlfriend at the age of 18. Reform said he was someone who had “got things wrong, learned from it and has grown and succeeded”.
The news will be a blow to Nigel Farage who has already lost Rupert Lowe, one of the party’s five MPs elected in 2024, after a row. Since then, the party has gained Sarah Pochin in a byelection.
McMurdock has not personally released a statement and it is not clear whether the party or any other organisation is investigating his conduct.