SOUTH Basildon's MP has once again found himself in a media spotlight, defending himself after accusations of making a racist comment.

James McMurdock, who sits as an independent in Westminster, only recently found himself cleared of parliamentary impropriety after a rival Labour politician reported him to the parliamentary standards commissioner for not declaring his business interests.

He was cleared, despite the allegations by MP Jon Pearce.

Now the South Basildon and East Thurrock MP who previously attracted negative headlines over a criminal conviction when he was a young man, finds himself back in the spotlight, this time accused by a Conservative MP, Ben Obese-Jecty of publishing a social media racial slur against a journalist

According to Mr Obese-Jecty, the former Reform UK MP who stepped down from the party of allegations about his business activities during Covid, posted the single letter "N" beneath an X post critical of Sky News' Mhari Aurora. The Tory says that equates to a racial slur.

Mr Murdock, who narrowly won his seat in July last year, has responded by saying there is no substance to the latest allegations, saying: "At the time of the alleged incident I was on a family holiday. More specifically in a family restaurant with my wife, children, and extended family.

"I noticed I had unknowingly posted an entirely random, and wholly insignificant, one letter comment, beneath a random news article, which I immediately deleted.

"When I conducted my own check, Grok, X's inbuilt AI, indicated that the expanded image was fake or a meme."

He added that Mr Obese-Jecty's "complaint regarding the alleged posting of a single letter is beyond ridiculous."

Mr McMurdock then claimed he believed the Conservative MP had broken the law by "writing the N-word in full" - saying this was "offensive, indecent and obscene."