
Nigel Farage says he ‘can't apologise' for lack of MP vetting in general election
The visit comes after news that Reform MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock James McMurdock has resigned the party whip amid allegations that he took out government loans during the Covid pandemic for businesses with no employees.
James McMurdock (Maja Smiejkowska/PA)
Mr Farage was keen to distance himself from the absence of Reform candidate vetting processes for the 2024 general election, and said he 'can't apologise' for it.
He said: 'I came in, I inherited this situation where hundreds of candidates who stood in the last general election had not gone through a vetting process.
'I said on July 5, the day after the election last year, that we would now professionalise.
'We put 1,630 candidates into the field on May 1, more than any other party with very, very few rows or arguments – so the vetting process worked for this year, I can't apologise for what happened before.'
The Reform leader did not answer when asked whether the allegations faced by Mr McMurdock were an embarrassment for his party.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during his visit to Kent County Council (Gareth Fuller/PA)
'Let's find out the truth, I know as much about this right now as you do.' said Mr Farage.
He added that he would be heading to Westminster later on Monday to find out more about the situation.
Addressing KCC Reform councillors on the steps inside County Hall, he outlined his expectations for them.
Mr Farage said: 'Behaving with integrity is a responsibility upon all of you, although that doesn't mean you all have to become stuffed shirts or anything like that.
'You are holders of public office you are responsible and how we behave matters.'
Later, he told the PA news agency: 'Yes I think, I think that when you become elected at any level you have a responsibility,
'I'm not asking for stuffed shirts, I'm not asking for boring people. I'm just saying think, think to all of these people here who were basically in 'civvy street' in political terms before May 1, just think before you act.'

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Reform did ‘zero' checks on suspended MP, admits Farage
Reform UK did 'zero' due diligence on James McMurdock before he was elected as an MP, Nigel Farage has admitted. The MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock left the party on Saturday amid allegations surrounding his 'business propriety' during the pandemic. The Reform party leader said that there had been no due diligence conducted prior to Mr McMurdock's selection, but that the party had since 'professionalised' its vetting process. He told LBC: 'There was no due diligence on him at all. Zero. I mean, I inherited this. 'I said after the general election last year that I'd put proper professional vetting in place. I've done that. 'We fielded more candidates than anybody on May 1. There was hardly any arguments at all.' He added: 'I can't verify the future of everybody going ahead, but have we now professionalised the party to stop this sort of thing ever happening again? Yes.' Mr Farage also refused to rule out Mr McMurdock's return to the party pending the outcome of any party investigations into the claims. The Sunday Times alleged that Mr McMudock borrowed £70,000 for two businesses under the Government's Bounce Back loan scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic. It reported that Jam Financial Limited, one of Mr McMurdock's firms, allegedly received £50,000 in 2020, the largest loan available for medium-sized businesses with an annual turnover of more than £200,000. Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited, another of Mr McMurdock's businesses, allegedly took out a £20,000 loan in 2020, which would have required an annual turnover of more than £100,000. Jam Financial Limited allegedly had no employees and negligible assets until the pandemic, and Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited was also dormant until Jan 31 2020. Mr McMurdock said in a statement on X that 'all my business dealings had always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations'. He added that he asked for the whip to be suspended as a 'precautionary measure' and 'for the protection of Reform UK'. Statement from James McMurdock. Thursday evening I received a phone call from a journalist who followed an extremely aggressive and clumsy line of questioning where he confused assets, profit, and turnover. He confirmed that the phone call was off the record and I advised him… — James McMurdock MP (@JamesReform) July 5, 2025 Mr McMurdock unexpectedly won his Essex seat at last year's election, securing a majority of just 98 over Labour. Shortly after his win, reports emerged about a historic conviction for assaulting a former girlfriend. Earlier on Monday, Mr Farage warned Reform councillors that they must behave with 'integrity'. He told Kent county council members that 'behaving with integrity is a responsibility upon all of you' but said that this did not mean they should be 'stuffed shirts'. The local authority is the largest that Mr Farage's party controls, after Reform made sweeping gains at the local elections in May. Zia Yusuf was brought into Reform last summer as the party chairman, who would be responsible for the professionalisation of the party. Last month, Mr Yusuf dramatically resigned from the party, announcing on X: 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time, and hereby resign the office.' He returned to the party just two days later, saying that his decision to quit had been 'born of exhaustion'. Mr McMurdock is the second MP to have left the party since last year's election. The party expelled Rupert Lowe in March over allegations of workplace bullying and threats against its chairman, which he has strongly denied.


The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
New left-wing party eyes 2027 election after messy launch
Britain's newest political party didn't get off to the best start. Within minutes of Coventry South MP Zarah Sultana announcing she'd quit Labour and was forming a new left-wing party that she would co-lead alongside Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader and his inner circle were furiously trying to undo it. Still, if they get their act together — and there are some serious people involved here, which suggests they might — are there enough voters in Scotland who could be tempted? READ MORE FROM UNSPUN: I spoke to some of those involved with the group, including members of the Secretariat — the three-person organising committee who've been in place since last December. They say there's no doubt some Scots who voted Labour last year feel burned. The Welfare Bill, the two-child benefit cap, cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment, that 'island of strangers' speech, and Gaza have all left a mark. There's awareness the launch was messy — 'Zarah jumped the gun,' one said — but efforts are being made to pull things back together before the Westminster recess. They believe the new party will launch properly in the next couple of weeks, with as many as six MPs and around 200 councillors on board. The aim is to harness community campaigners, not just party insiders: 'It'll be people from disability campaigns, housing campaigners.' A recent letter in Scottish Left Review set out some of the thinking here. It called for a new left-wing alternative in response to climate breakdown, rising inequality and 'the rise of far-right and fascist formations'. It condemned Labour and the SNP for continuing austerity and embracing militarism, and accused Sir Keir Starmer of 'driving millions into deeper poverty and destitution'. 'We cannot wait for deliverance,' they wrote. 'Building a left alternative is urgent.' This Letter Group pledged to unite trade union, community and activist forces into a credible electoral force that could stand up to both 'the poison of Reform' and 'the failings of the other establishment parties'. It was signed by, among others, independent Edinburgh councillor Ross McKenzie and Glasgow Labour councillor Matt Kerr. Cllr Kerr didn't respond to my request for a comment, but Cllr McKenzie said he was "definitely interested in seeing how it develops." "Clearly there are still unknowns about the structure this party will take and how that will be applied in Scotland," he added. One of my sources claimed Labour MSP Mercedes Villalba as a possible supporter. She didn't respond to my request for comment, and this could just be wishful thinking on the new party's behalf. The new group don't yet have a name, though one contact said colleagues in England were mulling over calling it Solidarity — despite that name's history in Scotland. It's worth pointing out the left is not all on board here. The Campaign for Socialism, the autonomous left-wing group within Scottish Labour, has urged supporters to stay and fight within the party, arguing Labour remains 'the best vehicle for the hopes of the many'. They warned against handing Labour to those who would 'see it destroyed rather than become a vehicle for radical politics'. If they get their act together and stand on the list next year, there's little doubt this new party could take votes from Scottish Labour, the Greens and the SNP. But, my contact said, their main focus was on the 2027 local elections. Interestingly enough, a contact in Reform said the same thing to not that long ago. Never mind the battle for Bute House — the battle for Scotland's town halls is already well underway.


BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Nigel Farage calls for cuts to Kent's school transport spending
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described Kent County Council's spending on home to school transport as "beyond belief", suggesting funding should be removed from some his first visit to County Hall in Maidstone since the party took over the council in May, he said the authority was "going to save a lot of money" through its Department of Government Efficiency (Doge). He said: "There are things called parents who for as long as modern times remember have had the aggravation of getting their kids to school." Farage's visit was part of a tour of authorities that Reform UK won at the local elections. The party took control of Kent County Council on 2 May, wiping out the Conservative majority after nearly 30 UK's Doge was launched in Maidstone in June, designed to identify areas where councils can save party would not be drawn on how much Kent would be looking to save or which budgets, though Linden Kemkaran, council leader, told the BBC it would be "in the millions".She said: "I've always said from day one I would ask awkward questions."Cutting the budget for home to school transport was a subject the party was keen to talk the council spends £98m per year on school transport, according to Reform UK. Children are eligible for that if they are over eight years old and living more than three miles (4.8km) from school, if they have special educational needs or are a family on a low said: "If you've got two kids living next door to each other getting separate taxis that is crazy."To have crept to a position where school transport is costing taxpayers almost £100m per year is unacceptable."He did say there would be exceptions for children with special educational authority has its first full meeting on Thursday and it is expected to announce the findings of its audit. The visit comes after news that James McMurdock, Reform UK MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock in Essex, resigned the party whip amid allegations that he took out government loans during the Covid-19 pandemic for businesses with no was keen to distance himself from the absence of candidate vetting processes for the 2024 general election, and said he "can't apologise" for said: "I came in, I inherited this situation where hundreds of candidates who stood in the last general election had not gone through a vetting process."The Reform UK leader did not answer when asked whether the allegations faced by McMurdock were an embarrassment for his party."Let's find out the truth, I know as much about this right now as you do," he reporting by PA Media.