A Reform MP, James McMurdock, has given up the party whip while he is investigated over allegations about his business conduct during the pandemic.

Lee Anderson, the party’s chief whip, made the statement, 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.

McMurdock, 39, was a political unknown when he took the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock for Reform last year by 98 votes at the general election.

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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 five MPs elected in 2024 after a row. Since then, the party has also gained Sarah Pochin in a byelection.

McMurdock has not personally released a statement and it is not clear whether the party or another organisation is investigating his conduct.