Farage says Reform MP’s past assault conviction against ex-partner ‘irrelevant’
The party leader defended James McMurdock as a ‘good example to young tearaways’.
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Your support makes all the difference.Nigel Farage has said a Reform UK MP’s conviction for kicking his former girlfriend 18 years ago is “irrelevant”.
The party leader defended James McMurdock as a “good example to young tearaways” who “picked himself up from a terrible situation and made a big success”.
The former investment banker did not publicly disclose his conviction for assault before being elected and claimed he had “pushed” his partner when details were first revealed this summer.
However, The Times later obtained information about his sentencing from the courts, which said he was locked up for 21 days in a young offenders’ institute for kicking the victim “around four times” in 2006 when he was a teenager.
In a heated exchange with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, the Reform leader criticised the “mainstream media” for focusing on the story as he was questioned over the MP’s past account of the incident.
Asked about the “discrepancy” between Mr McMurdock’s comments about the incident and the official record, Mr Farage said: “What’s happened is happened.
“Whether there are discrepancies or not I don’t know. What I know is he’s a fine young man who’s turned out really very, very well.”
Pressed again on the issue, he replied: “This is why mainstream media like you are losing the affections of the British public. Let’s worry about where we are today. Let’s worry about where the country is going.
“Let’s worry about the fact we’re getting poorer… You’re talking about an inside Westminster story that you want to talk about.”
Mr Farage added: “I’m saying a spent conviction is irrelevant.”
Mr McMurdock won the seat of South Basildon and East Thurrock for Reform UK at this year’s election, beating Conservative candidate Stephen Metcalfe by just 98 votes.
Asked whether someone with a conviction for domestic violence or assault could be a councillor or member of the party, he said: “Well, if we think they’re good enough. If we think they genuinely… decided that the past was awful.
“There are young offenders’ institutes today full of people. If half of them turned out as well as James McMurdock, we’d be a better country.”