Council Leader Calls for Reform MP’s Expulsion Over Assault Conviction

The leader of a local council has urged Nigel Farage to remove a Reform UK Member of Parliament from the party due to the MP’s conviction for assaulting a previous girlfriend. James McMurdock acknowledged pushing the woman in 2006. This admission came after he was questioned about the event following his victory in July for the Essex constituency of South Basildon and East Thurrock. Nevertheless, last week, The Times published additional information from court documents, which reportedly indicated that he had kicked the victim approximately four times. Gavin Callaghan, who serves as the Labour leader at Basildon Council, stated that Farage ought to have removed the whip from McMurdock after these recent disclosures. Callaghan asserted, “Nigel Farage is weak.” He further added, “The fact he is not willing to address it like a real parliamentary leader, speaks volumes about him.” McMurdock secured the parliamentary seat in the general election with a margin of 98 votes. The Labour candidate placed second, while the sitting Conservative MP, Stephen Metcalfe, came in third. Following the election outcome, the Daily Mail reported having interviewed the victim’s mother, prompting McMurdock to issue a statement. He stated that he was 19 years old at the time of the incident, that both individuals were “very drunk,” and that he “immediately” surrendered to the police. He asserted, “I faced the consequences then and paid for my action in full.” He added, “It was the realisation of what happened that night and the shame I felt over it that led me to turn my life around.” Reform UK confirmed its awareness of the conviction and informed the Mail that it “strongly” believed “that people can change their lives.” Last week, The Times reported that he entered a guilty plea late in the legal proceedings and demonstrated a “lack of willingness to comply.” He served a week in a young offenders institution. When contacted by the BBC last week, McMurdock’s office stated that it had no further comments beyond his statement issued in July. Farage, who is the MP for Clacton and the party leader, has continued to support his colleague, stating on Thursday that McMurdock committed something “really awful a long time ago.” He remarked, “It’s not something he’s proud of in any way at all, but you know, what’s done is done, we have the rehabilitation of offenders’ act – we have Christian forgiveness.” When questioned further, Farage proposed that McMurdock — who subsequently worked in the City of London and is a married father-of-four — represented a “story of genuine rehabilitation.” Individuals with a criminal record are permitted to stand as prospective candidates for Parliament. Nevertheless, the Electoral Commission stipulates that one cannot be a candidate if, either at the point of nomination or on polling day, “you have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment or detained for a year or more.” -Update 18 December: This article has been modified to clarify the regulations concerning individuals with a criminal record who wish to stand for election to Parliament. For updates on Essex news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content found on external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.