Independent MP James McMurdock has said he has been "vindicated" following reviews into allegations relating to his former business affairs and his conduct.
In a statement published on X, Mr McMurdock said he had faced scrutiny over the past year following reporting about his former businesses and a complaint made to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
He wrote:
"Over the past 12 months I have been accused of both business impropriety and racism."
Mr McMurdock said that following media reports about his former companies, his affairs had been examined by a number of organisations, including HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) and the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
He said he had recently received a letter from HMRC confirming that, following its review, he was entitled to a tax refund.
Mr McMurdock wrote:
"The letter I recently received from HMRC confirmed, after their careful review, that they, in fact, owed me a refund."
He added that he did not intend to cash the cheque, saying instead that he planned to frame it alongside newspaper articles which, in his view, had wrongly implied wrongdoing.
The Reform UK MP also said:
"It is now a matter of public record that my businesses have been closed. I owe nothing. Not a penny. Not a bean."
Mr McMurdock argued that the outcome supported his long-standing assertion that his business affairs had been conducted properly.
Standards investigation continues
Mr McMurdock also referred to an investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards concerning an allegation of racism.
He said the investigation had now been running for almost eleven months but noted that he was unable to discuss the matter in detail while it remains ongoing.
Mr McMurdock wrote that, during the investigation, no evidence had been produced demonstrating that he had made racist comments during what he described as nearly two decades of personal social media use.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards has not, at the time of publication, announced the outcome of that investigation.
Mr McMurdock concluded his statement by thanking those involved in examining the allegations against him, writing that they had given him the opportunity to be:
"Vindicated... again."
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