Nigel Farage joked with the newly elected Reform MP as he warned that his "life is ruined completely" following a recount in the Basildon South and East Thurrock constituency.
James McMurdock won the seat with a majority of just 98 votes from Labour candidate Jack Ferguson.
McMurdock adds to an historic Westminster tally for Reform - he joins Nigel Farage, Lee Anderson, Richard Tice and Rupert Lowe in Parliament.
The latest Reform MP informed Farage about the news over the phone as the Reform UK leader congratulated the winner.
"Epic! Well, all I can tell you now, as an elected politician is your life is ruined completely.
"Congratulations!
"What we'll, you just calm down for a bit. What we'll do, I'll be with you at 10am in whichever you think is the best, busiest thoroughfare, we'll tell all the media and we'll go for a walkabout and we'll have a lot of fun."
McMurdock - following the recount - was confirmed to have taken the seat from the Tories - unhorsing Stephen Metcalfe, who won with an overwhelming 65.4 per cent of the vote in 2019.
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It comes after Farage was elected as the MP for Clacton on his eighth attempt for office.
Ex-Tory MP Giles Watling trailed in second on 27.9 per cent, with Labour's Jovan Owusu-Nepaul receiving just 16.2 per cent of the vote.
Farage pulled in marginally more support than ex-Ukip MP Douglas Carswell.
After overturning a 24,702 Tory majority to win by 8,405, Farage said: "There is a massive gap on the centre-right of British politics and my job is to fill it."
Taking aim at Labour, the Reform UK leader warned: "What is interesting is, there's no enthusiasm for Labour, there's no enthusiasm for Starmer whatsoever.
"In fact, about half of the vote is simply an anti-Conservative vote. We're coming for Labour, be in no doubt about that."
His - and McMurdock's - victories in Essex contribute to a night of humiliation for the Conservatives in an area considered Tory heartland since the days of Margaret Thatcher.
from GB News https://ift.tt/PzLMgUV
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