Failed Firms and CV Boasts – Little-Known New Reform UK MP’s Past Comes Under Scrutiny 

James McMurdock, the newly elected Reform UK MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock, has questions to answer over his business background and career history.

In his Reform UK website bio, he states: “I grew up in Basildon, worked hard, and went on to study economics at university. From there, I was recruited by tier 1 banks. 

“Since then, I have facilitated billions of dollars in business deals across sectors including energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing for both global corporations and developing country governments. I achieved this by fostering relationships, understanding the legal documentation, and getting the numbers right.”

But some of the numbers and documents don’t seem to add up. 

His biography also adds: “My professional journey has included roles at prestigious institutions such as Barclays Capital, Goldman Sachs, and Lehman Brothers.”

A well-placed source at Goldman Sachs confirmed he worked there… from February to April 2011. It may have been an internship at the London HQ of the investment bank. 

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McMurdock’s boast to have worked for disgraced and collapsed US bank Lehman Brothers, is also under fire, as inconsistencies in his professional timeline come to light through investigation by Byline Times.

According to his LinkedIn profile, McMurdock worked at his mother’s accountancy firm until 2010. But Lehman Brothers famously collapsed in September 2008, a key point and contributor to the global financial crisis, due to the firm’s perceived over-reliance on so-called ‘sub-prime mortgages’ – or dodgy debt. 

McMurdock would have been just entering his second year at university in Sussex at the time. What role did he do at Lehman Brothers while a student working another job? 

The new Reform UK MP also appears to have deleted his ‘Allen & Co Accountants’ part from his LinkedIn profile in the past few days. The accountancy firm in question is believed to be run by his mother, Yvonne Allen (previously Yvonne Murdoch), a professional accountant. 

Our investigation has also uncovered a trail of failed companies associated with McMurdock. 

One such company, Nang Ltd, traded for just one year with a share capital of £100 and a profit of merely £9. He was terminated as a director in July 2015, and then in May 2016 the firm was dissolved by the state, via compulsory strike-off. 

This happens when a firm fails to meet its legal obligations with Companies House to provide accounts or other legally required documentation. It is a serious matter that in theory can carry a seven-year prison sentence for the directors involved. 

Another firm, JAM Ltd, was found to be technically insolvent with its 2021 accounts showing negative capital of £14,000. McMurdock is no longer a director of this company. 

Further digging has revealed other troubled businesses. Bulk Buy Divided Ltd was dissolved via voluntary strike-off in 2017, with McMurdock as the sole director. 

Meanwhile, Essex-based Gym Live Health and Fitness Ltd is likely to face compulsory strike-off action due to its accounts and confirmation statements being long overdue. Its last financial report was due by October 2022. Some of the firms use different versions of his name, for example including ‘Antony’ as a middle name, which makes tracing his various director roles harder. 

One financial expert told this outlet: “JAM Ltd has £50,000 of creditors, which could well be McMurdock or a relative.” The latest accounts are “very rudimentary”, claiming micro firm exemptions, and it is hard to tell what the firms do, or did. JAM Ltd’s capital reserves are negative, making the company technically insolvent.

A spokesperson for Companies House told Byline Times there is no offence where a person provides variations in their name, but the listings are sometimes found and “may be merged on request.”

“Companies House will be implementing changes introduced in the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 to require anyone setting up, running, owning or controlling a company in the UK to verify their identity to prove that they are who they claim to be.”

On the compulsory strike off proceedings against some of McMurdock’s former firms, the spokesperson added: “The registrar may take action to strike a company off the register if they have reasonable cause to believe that a company is not carrying on business or in operation.

“The registrar will publish a notice in the relevant Gazette stating their intention to strike the company off the register unless they’re shown reason not to do so. If the registrar sees no reason to do otherwise, they will strike off the company no less than two months after the date of the notice.”

Neither Reform UK nor James McMurdock responded to requests for comment.