No further action over MP's 'racial slur' post on X

An Essex MP will face no further action over an online post that led to a Sky News journalist being racially abused.

James McMurdock was accused of starting a chain of posts on X that spelled out a racial slur against political reporter Mhari Aurora in August 2025.

The Standards Committee found he did not breach parliamentary rules, but it rejected his claim that posting the letter "N" was accidental and it said he had "started a racial slur online".

McMurdock, who represents South Basildon and East Thurrock as an independent MP, branded the investigation a "ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money".

He was investigated after publishing the letter under an X post that was critical of Aurora.

His claims that one of his children posted it, or it was a pocket post, were rejected by the committee.

"We cannot accept – on the balance of probabilities – either of these explanations," it said in a report published on Tuesday.

"We therefore find, on the balance of probabilities, that Mr McMurdock posted the letter himself and in doing so started a racial slur online, whether intentionally or not."

McMurdock made the post while on holiday and described being "mortified" when he realised what had unfolded below it.

But standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg said he "took no steps to disassociate himself" from the racial slur and "allowed the perception to continue that he had started it deliberately".

He concluded McMurdock had breached the MPs' code of conduct.

However, the cross-party committee ruled he did not break Rule 11, defined as "actions causing significant damage to the reputation" of the House of Commons or its MPs.

It recommended no further action and said the damage would have been to McMurdock's reputation and not to that of MPs in general.

Reacting to the findings, McMurdock said: "While this ridiculous waste of taxpayers' money has been a clear demonstration of lawfare from political opponents, I am glad that a rational conclusion has been reached."

He described the investigation as a "distraction in the background" that he looked forward to moving on from.

McMurdock was elected for Reform UK in July 2024 but he asked to be suspended from the party a year later and now sits as an independent.

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