Latest news with #JamesMcMurdock
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
James McMurdock MP worked for bank while 'claiming Covid loans'
James McMurdock suspended himself from the Nigel Farage-led party when reports emerged last week in The Sunday Times that he had borrowed £70,000 through two firms in 2020. One business was previously dormant, while the other had negligible assets, the newspaper reports. The MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock said he had quit the party after taking 'specialist advice' that he said was 'privileged and which I choose to keep private at this time'. READ MORE: Arms firms are buying exclusive access to MPs for as little as £1499 McMurdock received £50,000 through JAM Financial Ltd, and has not responded to claims this was a Bounce Back loan, where eligible businesses had to be 'adversely impacted by the coronavirus' and trading on March 1 2020. The Times now reports that JAM Financial was a personal service company that the MP used to receive earnings from Standard Chartered. McMurdock worked at the bank until he became an MP last year, setting up the firm just days before starting his role as a 'senior associate' in November 2016. By being paid through the company over three years, McMurdock assumed the status of a contractor, despite working there full time. The MP was placed on the bank's payroll in 2020 ahead of tax reforms due to come in in spring, The Times has now reported. (Image: Joe Giddens) The move was a part of a bid to ensure contractors paid the correct tax and national insurance contributions, and were not acting as 'disguised employees'. McMurdock was then paid directly, and JAM Financial received less money as a result, which had nothing to do with the coronavirus pandemic. Company accounts for JAM Financial show its debts never exceeded a few thousand pounds before the pandemic. But in the year to October 2020, it reported debts of £50,000, up from zero the year before. The amount is the same as the maximum available via the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. READ MORE: Why is Donald Trump facing a MAGA revolt over the Jeffrey Epstein list? McMurdock would have been required to report a turnover of at least £20,000. Reform have urged him to quit his role as an MP to allow a by-election to be held in his seat. It emerged after the election that he had been jailed after repeatedly kicking his ex-girlfriend outside of a Chelmsford nightclub. Farage refused to apologise for a lack of background checks on Reform candidates as it predated his leadership. Reform is now down to four MPs.
Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Times
James McMurdock took bank salary while ‘claiming Covid loans'
A former Reform MP who allegedly borrowed tens of thousands of pounds in Covid loans received a salary from an international bank throughout the pandemic. James McMurdock suspended himself from Reform UK last week after The Sunday Times posed questions about £70,000 he borrowed through two firms in 2020: one previously dormant, the other with negligible assets. The South Basildon & East Thurrock MP later said he had quit Nigel Farage's party after taking 'specialist advice' which 'is privileged and which I choose to keep private at this time'. He remains under investigation by the parliamentary commissioner for standards and was separately referred to the Public Sector Fraud Authority by the Covid corruption commissioner last week. Reform has called for him to resign so a by-election can take place.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Essex MP James McMurdock investigated by standards commissioner
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards is investigating South Basildon and East Thurrock MP James McMurdock over allegations he failed to register his business was one of five Reform UK MPs before he quit the party this week amid allegations over his eligibility to have claimed £70,000 in bounceback loans during the who is listed by Companies House as a director of Gym Live Health and Fitness Ltd, now sits as an Independent MP for the Essex has been approached for comment. On Wednesday, Labour MP Jon Pearce asked the commissioner to "investigate whether James McMurdock MP is in breach of the rules of conduct for MPs".Pearce wrote to the commissioner, saying "parliamentary rules state this directorship should be listed".The company, along with JAM Financial Ltd, where McMurdock was previously a director, has overdue said via social media that "all my business dealings had always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations".Last weekend, he asked Reform to temporarily suspend the whip as a "precautionary measure", and the party said it was carrying out an internal Tuesday, he resigned from the party, saying that after he "had a chance to take specialist legal advice" he had "decided to continue my parliamentary career as an independent MP".South Basildon and East Thurrock was the last seat to declare in the 2024 general election following a full recount. McMurdock beat the Labour candidate by 98 votes in a seat that was previously held by the parliamentary rules, MPs should declare any earnings over £100 and any interests that "might reasonably consider the interest to influence their actions or words as an MP". McMurdock has not declared any on the register can be corrected by MPs, but serious breaches can lead to formal sanctions, including suspension from Parliament. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ex-Reform UK MP's business affairs referred to fraud body
The former Reform UK MP James McMurdock's business affairs during the Covid pandemic have been referred to the Public Sector Fraud Authority, the Guardian understands. It follows a referral by the Covid corruption commissioner on Wednesday. The authority will investigate the evidence and work with relevant agencies if required. McMurdock, the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock in Essex, surrendered the party whip last weekend in anticipation of revelations in the Sunday Times, which claimed there were questions over loans totalling tens of thousands of pounds. It was reported that he took out £70,000 in loans in 2020 from the government's bounce back scheme. He allegedly borrowed £50,000 for one business, JAM Financial Ltd, which had no employees and negligible assets until the Covid pandemic. For a firm to have been eligible for the loan, it would have needed to report a turnover of at least £200,000. McMurdock is said to have resigned as a director of the company in 2021 and transferred his shares. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Another company McMurdock owned, Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited, was said to have borrowed £20,000. It would have required a turnover of £100,000 under the bounce back scheme. It, too, had no employees, according to the latest registered accounts available on Companies House, and had nominal assets until the Covid pandemic. The companies were due to be struck off the register at Companies House, but on the same day in February 2023 the process of suspending them was halted after the regulator had an objection from a third party. The MP said he had told the Sunday Times that 'all my business dealings had always been conducted fully within the law and in compliance with all regulations, and that appropriately qualified professionals had reviewed all activity confirming the same'. He said on Tuesday he had decided to remain as an independent MP rather than seek to return to Reform UK after receiving legal advice. McMurdock, one of the five Reform UK MPs elected last July after winning the Essex constituency by 98 votes, posted on X: 'Further to my statement tweeted on 5 July 2025. I have now had a chance to take specialist legal advice from an expert in the relevant field. 'In light of that advice, which is privileged and which I choose to keep private at this time, I have decided to continue my parliamentary career as an independent MP where I can focus 100% on the interests of my constituents.'
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Starmer pokes fun at Farage's expense, but Reform leader may have the last laugh as migration looms large in UK-France summit
UK prime minister Keir Starmer needed some brighter moments during his weekly question time on Wednesday in the House of Commons, after the uncomfortable spectacle of his crying chancellor last week. He got one at the expense of Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage . Labour backbencher John Slinger asked Starmer about Britain's Covid corruption commissioner, who investigates pandemic spending of public funds. Slinger asked for an update 'in light of recent events'. That was clearly aimed at former Reform MP James McMurdock, who resigned the party whip this week after it was alleged he got £70,000-worth of Covid business loans for two shell companies. He is the second MP Farage has lost recently, after Rupert Lowe. READ MORE Starmer rose to his feet and promised to 'go after the fraudsters, the grifters and the con artists, no matter where we find them'. With delicious timing, who was up next on the order paper to ask a question? An uncharacteristically chastened-looking Farage. The Labour backbenches exploded into riotous laughter as the Reform leader stood to speak a few seconds after Starmer mentioned con artists. 'There's a grifter if ever I saw one,' a Labour backbencher could be heard to roar above the din. From (last week's) tears to, now, jeers poured on the head of his biggest rival, Starmer was certainly enjoying a better time of it than he had the previous Wednesday. Farage, meanwhile, homed in on a more serious issue for the prime minister, and upon which the success or otherwise of this week's UK-France summit will likely hinge: small boat crossings, and Starmer's desperation for an asylum seeker returns deal with France . France's president Emmanuel Macron is in London for a three-day state visit this week. After Tuesday's pomp and pageantry, both sides got down to business on Wednesday with a bilateral meeting between the two leaders in Downing Street. [ Small boat migration, Russia's war on Ukraine, and US trade dominate discussion as Emmanuel Macron visits UK Opens in new window ] In advance of the meeting, Macron's officials briefed British media that if Starmer was to get his wish for a so-called 'one in, one out' returns deal, the French president would have a few asks of his own. Britain, the French argued, must address the pull factors that make it such an attractive destination for asylum seekers, such as its leaky black market jobs situation and the perception that it has a generous welfare system. The official British readout delivered later in the afternoon following the Downing Street lunch between the two leaders left some important clues that the French briefings of Macron's thoughts were accurate. 'The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions,' said Downing Street, Then came the kicker that confirmed Macron had indeed pressed Starmer to make Britain less attractive to asylum seekers in the first place, and that might help solve the problem. 'The prime minister spoke of his government's toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.' [ The roots of the British malaise lie in a sick economy Opens in new window ] Downing Street said both leaders looked forward to making 'concrete progress' on the issue at Thursday's full summit, where Starmer is expected to line up opposite the French alongside some of his most senior ministers. The number of small boat crossings has hit record levels this year, topping 21,000 so far and buoyed by splendid weather that makes the sailings easier. Starmer badly needs a deal with the French to staunch the flow, or else Farage could end up having the last laugh when Reform targets Labour seats using concern about immigration as a weapon to bludgeon its rival.
