James McMurdock MP: votes, interests and costs
The Member of Parliament for South Basildon and East Thurrock is James McMurdock (Independent).
Offices and committees
The Members API lists no government or opposition post and no select committee membership for James McMurdock (read 15 October 2026).
Register of interests
The Register of Members' Financial Interests lists 2 entries for James McMurdock: Visits outside the UK (1), Miscellaneous (1). The most recent was registered on 5 June 2026. Each entry is quoted as published, with its registration date; payments linked to an entry are listed under it.
International visit to Brunei between 24 May 2026 and 29 May 2026
- Purpose of the visit: Guest as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme.
- Date Member left the UK: 2026-05-24
- Date Member returned to the UK: 2026-05-29
Directorship of Gym Live Health and Fitness Limited. This is a dormant company awaiting strike off.
- Date on which the interest arose, or became registrable: 2024-07-04
- The type of interest: Unpaid role
Source: Register of Members' Financial Interests API, read 28 October 2026. The register entry on UK Parliament.
Business costs (IPSA)
In 2024-25 James McMurdock's office spent £158,960 on staff, from a staffing budget of £185,538, according to IPSA. Office costs came to £3,059 of a £30,426 budget. Budgets for that year run from the MP's election on 4 July 2024, as IPSA's reason column states. IPSA publishes each budget, the amount spent and the amount left (the remaining amounts are in IPSA's files); no total across budgets is published, so none is given here.
| IPSA figure | 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| Staffing: spent | £158,959.65 |
| Office costs: spent | £3,058.81 |
| Accommodation: spent | £6,555.42 |
| Travel and subsistence (no cap): spent | £3,096.47 |
| Other costs (no cap): spent | £0.00 |
Budgets set for 2024-25: office costs £30,426, staffing £185,538, accommodation £36,491 (Standard non-London area budget from 5 July 2024, and a start-up supplement of £6,000; Standard non-London area budget from 5 July 2024; Standard budget for renting a property in the London area from 5 July 2024, with an uplift to cover the cost of three dependants).
IPSA's CSVs for 2024-25, read 15 October 2026; constituency as IPSA lists it: South Basildon and East Thurrock CC.
Staff roles listed by IPSA, 2024-25
Senior Caseworker (fixed term full time), Senior Communication Officer (fixed term full time), Chief of Staff (fixed term full time), Senior Caseworker (fixed term part time), Office Manager/Senior Parl Assistant (fixed term full time), Constituency Support Officer (fixed term part time), Support Officer (fixed term full time) (IPSA CSV)
IPSA annual publications · All MPs' 2024-25 costs (table and CSV)
Votes in the Commons
How James McMurdock voted in the House of Commons: 262 recorded votes since 4 July 2024, as published by the Commons Votes API. Of these, 31 were votes on statutory instruments or procedural motions, which are not listed below. Below, the latest 30 on bills and motions. The most recent, on 14 October 2026, was an Aye on "Opposition Day motion: MoD Bicester and illegal migrants".
Source: Commons Votes API, read 28 October 2026. Only divisions in which a vote is recorded for the MP are counted. The full list on UK Parliament.
Written questions
James McMurdock has tabled 4,965 written questions since 4 July 2024, according to the Written Questions API. Departments in the latest 10: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade ; Department for Education; Treasury.
Russia: USA
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the 10 Downing Street press release entitled UK government response to agreement between US and Russia: 9 October, published on 10 October 2026, what assess …
Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Department's press release entitled Joint Statement of 16th Meeting of the India–UK JETCO, published on 12 October 2026, what assessment has he made of the po …
Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Joint Statement of 16th Meeting of the India–UK JETCO, published on 12 October 2026, what assessment his Department has ma …
Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Department’s press release entitled Joint Statement of 16th Meeting of the India–UK JETCO, published on 12 October 2026, what steps the Department is taking t …
Overseas Trade: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what data the Department holds on the value of goods and services exported from Essex to India in each of the last five years.
Schools: Bullying
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the prevalence of bullying among children at school, and what steps she is taking to tackle bullying.
Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Joint Statement of 16th Meeting of the India–UK JETCO, published on 12 October 2026, what estimate his Department has made …
Trade Agreements: India
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, with reference to the Department’s press release entitled Joint Statement of 16th Meeting of the India–UK JETCO, published on 12 October 2026, what assessment has he made of the ex …
Food: Charitable Donations
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the (a) potential cost to the treasury and (b) additional volume of surplus food that could be redistributed, if businesses were permitted to claim deductions for the cost of donated …
Food: Charitable Donations
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment has been made of the impact of the current tax treatment of surplus food donations on the financial incentive for businesses to redistribute edible surplus food for human consumption.
Source: Written Questions API, read 15 October 2026, SHA-256 dbe72bdb312c. Question wording as listed by the API, which gives the opening words of longer questions. All questions by James McMurdock.
2024 general election
At the 4 July 2024 general election South Basildon and East Thurrock returned James McMurdock with a majority of 98: 12,178 votes, 30.8% of those cast, against 12,080 for Jack Ferguson. Result as published: RUK gain from Con.
Commons Library results, read 14 October 2026 · South Basildon and East Thurrock figures
Built 15 October 2026 from official records; register entries and votes are re-read on a rolling schedule. This page sets out what the record shows and gives no rating of the MP. Official UK Parliament page · All MPs · Something wrong? Tell us.