Michelle Thomson

Michelle Thomson
MP
SNP Spokesperson for
Business, Innovation & Skills
In office
20 May 2015 – 30 September 2015
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Hannah Bardell
Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh West
Assumed office
8 May 2015
Preceded by Mike Crockart
Majority 3,210 (5.9%)
Personal details
Born Michelle Rhonda Perks
(1965-03-11) 11 March 1965
Bearsden, Scotland
Political party Scottish National Party
(pre-2015)
Independent (2015–present)
Alma mater Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama

Michelle Rhonda Thomson is a politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West since May 2015. She served as the SNP Business, Innovation and Skills spokesperson in the House of Commons until her resignation from the party whip in September 2015.[1][2] She remains the only Scottish MP on the Business Innovation and Skills Committee.[3]

Employment

Thomson graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama in 1985.[4] She initially worked as a professional musician and she completed an MSc in IT. She worked in Financial Services for Standard Life and the Royal Bank of Scotland for over 23 years in a variety of senior roles delivering IT and business change. In 2009 she set up her own small business in property.[4][5]

Political career

Thomson joined the SNP at 16 years old in 1981.[5] She became prominent politically during the Scottish independence referendum campaign, with the Yes campaign spending two years as managing director of Business for Scotland.[4] In this role, she spoke at over 90 events, took part in high-profile debates and undertook extensive media appearances. It was later revealed that under instruction from Peter Murrell, chief executive of the SNP and husband of First Minister (although deputy to Alex Salmond at the time) Nicola Sturgeon, Thomson had been stripped of her role as a paid consultant at Business for Scotland some months before the referendum. Business for Scotland refused to continue payments for 'consultancy' work, but came to a deal that allowed her to stay on unpaid as "Managing Director" for press purposes in order to avoid discrediting BfS before the referendum.[6]

The Sunday Post described her as one of the SNP MPs to watch in the new parliament.[7][8] The National has also described Thomson as "a breath of fresh air" in light of her broad-based life experience.[9]

Controversy

In August 2015 her name appeared on a list of Ashley Madison users, following a site data breach.[10] She strongly denied ever using the site and claimed an outdated SNP campaign email address was used as part of a smear campaign.[11]

Property allegations

In September 2015 Thomson was accused by an article in The Sunday Times of having built her buy-to-let property portfolio by buying homes from indebted families for below-market prices.[12] It emerged that Thomson's solicitor for the deals, Christopher Hales, had later been struck off for professional misconduct over his role in the deals by a Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal. In particular, the Tribunal found that Hales "must have been aware that there was a possibility he was facilitating mortgage fraud, whether or not this occurred." One couple, who had sold their home to the Thomsons, announced their intent to lodge a complaint with the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission.[13]

In late September 2015 Police Scotland announced it had launched an inquiry into "alleged irregularities" related to the property transactions which had seen Hales struck off.[14] The same day the SNP issued a statement on behalf of Thomson, announcing that she had decided to withdraw herself from the party whip whilst the investigation was ongoing. In resigning the whip, Thomson also gave up her SNP membership and her role as the SNP's business, innovation and skills spokesperson at Westminster.[2]

Solicitor Aamer Anwar was instructed to act on her behalf and confirmed that he had contacted Police Scotland on Thomson's behalf advising them of her wish to assist with their investigation, if or when they wish to speak to her.[15] In May 2016 Thomson revealed that the police have not contacted her about this investigation, more than eight months after the initial allegations came out in the press.[16]

Thomson was also referred to the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards in relation to her property dealings[17] but the commissioner decided not to proceed as the allegations related to before Thomson became an MP.[18]

References

  1. ↑ "List of Members returned to Parliament at the General Election 2015 Scotland". The Edinburgh Gazette. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Probe over property deals on behalf of Michelle Thomson MP". BBC News Online. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  3. ↑ http://www.parliament.uk/bis
  4. 1 2 3 "Midlothian elects Owen Thompson as council leader". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 The Independent. "The City should not dismiss the SNP as a single issue party". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  6. ↑ http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/oct/04/scotland-legal-bodies-to-discuss-mp-michelle-thomson-suspicious-property-deals
  7. ↑ Millar, James (9 May 2015). "Out with the old and in with the new – 12 SNP MPs to watch". Sunday Post. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  8. ↑ Tufft, Ben (8 May 2015). "Scottish MPs in Westminster: The full list of the SNP parliamentarians". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Hannan, Martin (7 July 2015). "Meet your new Scottish MPs: #34 Michelle Thomson, Edinburgh West". The National. Scotland.
  10. ↑ Khomami, Nadia (19 August 2015). "MP Michelle Thomson's details shown in Ashley Madison data hack". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  11. ↑ Khomami, Nadia (21 August 2015). "Truth about MPs online adultery account". Guido Fawkes's blog. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  12. ↑ Macaskill, Mark; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (20 September 2015). "SNP MP snaps up homes of struggling families". The Times. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Macaskill, Mark; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (27 September 2015). "Solicitor in SNP MP's house deals struck off". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 27 September 2015.
  14. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (29 September 2015). "Police launch inquiry into property deals involving SNP MP". The Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  15. ↑ "MP contacts police over mortgage fraud probe involving her lawyer". STV News. 1 October 2015.
  16. ↑ http://www.thenational.scot/politics/snps-michelle-thomson-says-police-have-not-been-in-touch-over-mortgage-deals.18098
  17. ↑ "Call for watchdog to investigate MP Michelle Thomson". BBC News Online. 7 October 2015.
  18. ↑ "Michelle Thomson will not face parliamentary probe over property deals". BBC News Online. 9 October 2015.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Mike Crockart		 Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh West
2015–present 		Incumbent
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