MP investigated over alleged racial abuse on X

The Parliamentary standards commissioner is examining MP James McMurdock over allegations that he posted messages on X spelling out a racial slur directed at Sky News journalist Mhari Aurora, according to BBC News.

McMurdock, the member for South Basildon and East Thurrock in Essex, was elected for Reform UK in July 2024 but suspended himself after questions about pandemic-era loans and now sits as an independent. The allegations center on a chain of posts on X that spelled out the slur on August 4. The Huntingdon Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty reported the matter to the standards commissioner in August, describing the sequence as using a racial slur against an individual on an online platform while attempting to bypass moderation. The letters of a word were posted individually by multiple users to form the complete slur in a vertical stack under a post critical of Sky News political correspondent Mhari Aurora.

Obese-Jecty criticized the action as horrendous and accused McMurdock of deleting the post, calling it a sign of a failure to challenge poor behavior and a lack of moral courage. He said there should be a clear explanation for such conduct and emphasized that, having faced similar online abuse himself, he was shocked that a fellow MP would treat a racist tactic as a legitimate means of challenging a journalist in a public forum.

In response, McMurdock released a screenshot of Grok, the AI assistant on X, claiming he never posted the letter N. He argued that Obese-Jecty had used him to bolster his own profile and described the accusation as pathetic. He also noted that Grok, while useful, can be inaccurate, a point previously associated with AI tools that have at times produced misleading results.

The standards commissioner is examining whether the actions in question breached Rule 11 of the House of Commons code of conduct, which covers behaviour that could cause significant damage to the reputation of the House or its MPs. A ruling could determine whether McMurdock violated the code or whether the matter falls short of disciplinary thresholds. The outcome remains pending, with the commissioner's assessment continuing through the appropriate process.

McMurdock has not commented further since the initial disclosures, and Obese-Jecty urged a full inquiry to establish whether the episode constitutes inappropriate conduct by a sitting MP. The investigation highlights ongoing concerns about online behavior by elected officials and the standards framework governing parliamentary conduct amid rising scrutiny of social media activity.