Labour advert falsely claims Reform UK MP James McMurdock is Conservative

A Reform UK MP has called for Labour to apologise for falsely claiming he is a Conservative.

A paid-for advert from the Labour Party’s Facebook account, seen by ITV News, stated that James McMurdock was a Tory MP.

The member of parliament for South Basildon and East Thurrock said the inaccurate ad was “unbelievable” and a sign of wider “incompetence” and “failure” by the governing party.

In response, a Labour spokesperson said they were “happy to correct the record” and will be “updating the ad accordingly”.

• James McMurdock MP tells ITV News he initially found the online ad 'quite funny'

Mr McMurdock, who won his seat from Conservatives by 98 votes in July, has demanded an apology from Labour.

The Reform UK MP added: “If they weren't scrambling so much from the damage they did with the Winter Fuel Allowance, they might be able to use their time and their money on something that helps the country rather than just slagging other people off.

“It's embarrassing for them, really. It really is embarrassing and it's probably worthy of an apology from them, given how wrong it is.”

The social media post was spotted by a constituent in south Essex, and also claimed Mr McMurdock did not support plans to deliver 40,000 more NHS appointments per week.

The Reform UK politician described that accusation as “utterly bizarre” and “factually inaccurate”.

Labour sources pointed out James McMurdock voted against recent budget bills, which included extra spending on the NHS aimed at increasing appointment availability.

Facebook’s parent company Meta has been approached for comment.

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