South Basildon and East Thurrock: MP, 2024 result and local figures
South Basildon and East Thurrock is represented in the House of Commons by James McMurdock (Independent). James McMurdock took the seat for Reform UK in July 2024 with 12,178 votes (30.8%), ahead of Jack Ferguson (Labour) on 12,080. 39,549 valid votes were cast by an electorate of 72,673, 54.4% of those registered. The majority was 98. James McMurdock stood for Reform UK in 2024; the Members API now lists the party as Independent.
Key figures
What the figures show
Survey estimates for April 2025 to March 2026 have 81.2% of working-age residents in employment, within a margin of 6.9 points. 15.8% were economically inactive.
Median annual pay for full-time work was £39,990 for jobs in South Basildon and East Thurrock and £43,117 for its residents (April 2025, ASHE). In April 2024 the residents' figure was £40,904. The residents' figure ranks 141st highest of 632 constituencies with an estimate. The latest year is provisional.
HM Land Registry sales put the middle house price at £353,000 for the year to March 2026. Ten years earlier, in the year to March 2016, it was £227,500. The highest March-year median in the series was £362,000, in the year to March 2023. It ranks 182nd highest of 575 constituencies. 1,129 sales were registered in the period, against 1,327 in the year to March 2025.
5,816 children in South Basildon and East Thurrock were in relative low income families after housing costs in 2024/25, the Department for Work and Pensions estimates: 26.8% of under-16s, where the UK share is 26.0%. On the before-housing-costs measure it rose from 16.0% in 2021/22 to 17.8% in 2024/25.
Workplaces in South Basildon and East Thurrock accounted for 35,000 jobs in 2024; the business register lists 3,935 local units for March 2026.
In mid-2024 the ONS put the number of residents at 104,512; the estimate for 2014 was 96,916. There were more children under 16 (21,704) than residents aged 65 and over (18,483).
At the 2021 Census there were 40,534 households and 840.3 residents per square kilometre; 25.5% of workers mainly worked from home and 21.3% of residents aged 16 and over were retired.
The number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits stood at 2,480 in September 2026, a claimant rate of 3.9%. September 2025 had 2,350.
MP
James McMurdock, Independent
- MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock since 4 July 2024
Official UK Parliament page · Statements by James McMurdock on this site
In Parliament
What James McMurdock said most recently in Parliament, word for word from Hansard (from 10 June 2026 to 14 October 2026). Hansard search returns 65 spoken contributions by James McMurdock since 4 July 2024.
I appreciate your allowing me to speak at the last moment, Mr Stuart, and it is an honour to speak under your chairmanship. I thank the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Marie Goldman) for bringing this very important and timely debate to Westminster Hall.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
I thank the Secretary of State for sharing—I have fluffed it now. Forgive me, I have had a two-hour wait, and I have completely lost my train of thought.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
It is a pleasure and an honour to speak under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I thank the 1,673 South Basildon and East Thurrock constituents who took the time to sign the petition.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q3. Over the past week, rules and regulations have come understandably under sharp focus, but even more important than rules and regulations is the law.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Q9. If any member of the public wishes to visit a major sporting or music event, they can expect to be searched on the way in. If they bring a bottle of water, the lid will be taken. If they order a drink from the bar, it will be served in a plastic cup.
Read in Hansard (opening words; the full contribution is longer)
Read from the Hansard API on 28 October 2026. Up to two items per debate; remarks under 40 characters are left out. All contributions in Hansard.
General election, 4 July 2024
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change in share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McMurdock | Reform UK | 12,178 | 30.8% | |
| Jack Ferguson | Labour | 12,080 | 30.5% | +7.0 |
| Stephen Metcalfe | Conservative | 10,159 | 25.7% | −39.8 |
| Neil Speight | Independent | 1,928 | 4.9% | |
| Elizabeth Grant | Green Party | 1,718 | 4.3% | +4.2 |
| Dave Thomas | Liberal Democrat | 1,071 | 2.7% | −1.4 |
| Steven Burnett | Independent | 275 | 0.7% | |
| Simon Breedon | Social Democratic Party | 140 | 0.4% |
Result summary as published: RUK gain from Con. Change in share is in percentage points against the notional 2019 result on the new boundaries. Source: House of Commons Library, election results (data, read 14 October 2026).
Results on these boundaries
| Date | Election | First | Second | Majority | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 2024 | General election | Reform UK 30.8% | Labour 30.5% | 98 | 54.4% |
| 12 December 2019 | General election (notional result on these boundaries) | Conservative 65.4% | Labour 23.6% | 18,731 | 61.0% |
Only results on the constituency boundaries first used at the 2024 general election are shown. The 2019 figures are the House of Commons Library's notional estimates of how votes cast in 2019 would have fallen on these boundaries, not a result that was declared. Source: House of Commons Library, constituency results.
Councils
South Basildon and East Thurrock covers wards in 2 local authority areas, listed by the number of wards in the constituency.
Who has power over South Basildon and East Thurrock
Every body that makes decisions for South Basildon and East Thurrock, from the street up to the G20. Each one links to its page on the official record. How the ten levels work.
Level 1: Neighbourhood and community power
Residents' and tenants' groups, neighbourhood forums and local policing panels.
Level 2: Parish, town and community councils
Parish, town and community councils, where the area has them, sit below the council.
Level 5: Devolved and state governments
England has no devolved parliament of its own: its laws are made by the UK Parliament.
Level 6: National government
- South Basildon and East Thurrock this page: James McMurdock (Independent) MP
- All 650 MPs votes, interests and costs
- UK government and Parliament official figures and sources
Level 7: Regional blocs and supranational bodies
- Council of Europe and the European Court of Human Rights (CoE / ECtHR) The UK Government says the United Kingdom was one of the Council of Europe's founding members.
Level 8: The UN and global treaty bodies
- United Nations (General Assembly and Security Council) The UN lists the United Kingdom as a member admitted on 24 October 1945.
- United Nations Security Council (UNSC) The UK is one of the five permanent members of the Security Council and holds the veto, according to the UN.
- NATO NATO lists the United Kingdom among its 12 founding members, which signed the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington, D.C.
- World Health Organization (WHO) WHO's list of member states includes the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
- World Trade Organization (WTO) The WTO says the United Kingdom has been a WTO member since 1 January 1995 and a member of GATT since 1 January 1948.
- Commonwealth of Nations The UK is one of the 56 members, one of three European members with Cyprus and Malta, and the Commonwealth Secretariat is headquartered at Marlborough House in London.
Level 9: The IMF, World Bank and global finance
- International Monetary Fund (IMF) The UK has been a member since 27 December 1945 and has a quota of SDR 20,155.1 million (IMF country page for the United Kingdom).
- World Bank Group (WBG) The UK holds 3.75% of voting power in the IBRD (data as of 30 June 2026) and 6.92% in IDA (as of 30 June 2026), according to the World Bank's voting tables.
Level 10: G7, G20, Davos and global forums
Sources
| Figure | Period | Publisher | Read | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | mid-2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimants as a share of residents aged 16 to 64 | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Claimant count | September 2026 | ONS | 29 October 2026 | data · area |
| Employment rate, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of residents | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median full-time pay of people working here | April 2025 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Median house price | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Homes sold | the year to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, after housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Children in relative low income families, before housing costs | 2024/25 | DWP | 14 October 2026 | data · release |
| Business sites (local units) | March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| People employed by businesses here | 2024 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Economically inactive, aged 16 to 64 | April 2025 to March 2026 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Households | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents per square kilometre | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Workers mainly working from home | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
| Residents aged 16+ who are retired | Census 2021 | ONS | 14 October 2026 | data · area |
"Data" is the file or query each figure was read from (its SHA-256 is in the link title); "area" shows the same table for this constituency alone.
Common questions
Who is the MP for South Basildon and East Thurrock?
James McMurdock (Independent), elected on 4 July 2024, according to UK Parliament records.
What was the 2024 general election result in South Basildon and East Thurrock?
The House of Commons Library records 12,178 votes for James McMurdock of Reform UK and a majority of 98; 54.4% of the electorate cast a valid vote.
What is the unemployment claimant rate in South Basildon and East Thurrock?
The ONS claimant count for September 2026 is 2,480, 3.9% of the 16 to 64 population.
What is the average house price in South Basildon and East Thurrock?
£353,000: the middle price of homes sold in the year to March 2026, published by the ONS from Land Registry records.
What is the average salary in South Basildon and East Thurrock?
For full-time employees living here the ONS puts median annual pay at £43,117 (April 2025).
How many children in South Basildon and East Thurrock live in low income families?
5,816 children under 16, 26.8%, after housing costs in 2024/25, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
What is the population of South Basildon and East Thurrock?
104,512 in mid-2024, the latest ONS estimate.
Built 14 October 2026 from official records; how these pages are compiled. This page lists what the record shows and gives no verdict on the MP or the area. Link moved or figure wrong? Tell us.