Michelle Thomson

Michelle Thomson
SNP Spokesperson for Business, Innovation and Skills
In office
20 May 2015 – 30 September 2015
Preceded by Position established
Succeeded by Hannah Bardell
Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh West
In office
8 May 2015 – 3 May 2017
Preceded by Mike Crockart
Succeeded by Christine Jardine
Personal details
Born Michelle Rhonda Perks
(1965-03-11) 11 March 1965
Bearsden, Scotland, UK
Political party Scottish National Party
(Before 2015)
Independent (2015–2017)
Alma mater Royal Scottish Academy of
Music and Drama

Michelle Rhonda Thomson (born 11 March 1965) is a Scottish business person and former politician. She is the co-founder of Momentous Change Ltd[1], a consultancy she set up with Professor Roger Mullin in 2017 to help organisations manage change. In 2018, Momentous Change published its first report, Brexit and Scottish Business[2]. In May 2018, Thomson was appointed to the Advisory Team of the African Entrepreneurial Network Ltd.

Prior to this, Ms Thomson was the member of parliament (MP) for Edinburgh West from May 2015 to May 2017. She served as the SNP Business, Innovation and Skills spokesperson in the House of Commons until her resignation of the party whip in September 2015.[3][4] She was also a member of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee from 2015 to 2017.[5]

Since stepping down from parliament in 2017, she has been appointed as Ambassador for the All Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Business Banking[6].

Early life and career

Thomson graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1985.

Thomson initially worked as a professional musician and then completed a post graduate diploma in Information technology (IT).[7] 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.[8][9]

Momentous Change Ltd

Thomson established Momentous Change Ltd in 2017 with co-founder Professor Roger Mullin. Momentous Change is a niche consultancy providing support to businesses through economic management and operational change. The firm self-funded research involving 236 senior Scottish business leaders across industry to establish their concerns over Brexit. The final report was published in February 2018. Its principal findings and recommendations included the need for a new skills strategy[10] and greater financial and practical support from government[11] [12].

Political career

Thomson joined the SNP at 16 years old in 1981.[9] She became prominent politically during the Scottish independence referendum campaign, with the Yes campaign. She was elected as the MP for Edinburgh West in 2015.

As part of her role on the BEIS committee, Thomson was one of the members of the joint committee inquiries into the collapse of BHS.[13], into the working practices of Sports Direct[14][15] and into Corporate Governance[16].

The Sunday Post described her as one of the SNP MPs to watch in the new parliament.[17][18] The National has also described Thomson as "a breath of fresh air" in light of her broad-based life experience.[19]

In December 2016, in a House of Commons debate focused on UN International Day For The Elimination Of Violence Against Women, Thomson described the impact of having been raped at the age of 14, highlighting the conditions of silence and shame that prevent rape from being discussed or reported.[20]

Thomson was sitting as an Independent MP when the 2017 general election was called on 18 April 2017. The SNP's national executive met four days later and ruled that they would not endorse her as an SNP candidate. She did not stand at the election, issuing a statement that noted, "that, even in political parties the concept of natural justice must apply, as must the need for defined processes that are applied fairly, rigorously and transparently. I would advise the SNP to employ the services of an external body to help them develop a process as soon as possible.".[21]

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 for below-market prices.[22] It emerged that Thomson's solicitor for the deals, Christopher Hales, had been struck off for professional misconduct over his role in the deals by a Scottish Solicitors’ Discipline Tribunal.

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.[23] 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 lost her SNP membership and her role as the SNP's business, innovation and skills spokesperson at Westminster.[4]. However, Thomson subsequently claimed she had been forced to resign the whip[24] [25] [26].

Solicitor Aamer Anwar initially represented Thomson. [27]

Eight months after the story broke, Thomson issued a press statement noting that there had been no contact with her from Police Scotland[28]. Thomson became the subject of considerable press comment relating to her property dealings, some wrongly assuming she was under police investigation. Reporting errors led to public apologies or the changing of online articles in a number of UK newspapers, including The Herald, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Daily Record and The Sun.

In August 2017 the investigation into Christopher Hales was dropped[29]. Former Scottish Government Minister Kenny MacAskill said the SNP had lessons to learn over their handling of her case[30]. Former First Minister Alex Salmond was also quoted as saying how badly Thomson had been treated by the media and the SNP.[31]

Publications

"Why Banks Must Change"[32] International Banker, 5 September 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2018. https://internationalbanker.com/banking/why-banks-must-change/

References

  1. ↑ http://momentouschangeltd.co.uk/
  2. ↑ http://momentouschangeltd.co.uk/images/news/2018/FINAL_Brexit_and_Scottish_Business_report.pdf
  3. ↑ "List of Members returned to Parliament at the General Election 2015 Scotland". The Edinburgh Gazette. 15 May 2015. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Probe over property deals on behalf of Michelle Thomson MP". BBC News Online. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee membership at the end of Parliament 2015-17 - News from Parliament". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
  6. ↑ http://www.appgbanking.org.uk/about-us/
  7. ↑ "THOMSON, Michelle Rhonda". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Midlothian elects Owen Thompson as council leader". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. 9 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  9. 1 2 The Independent. "The City should not dismiss the SNP as a single issue party". Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  10. ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/16034112.UK_Brexit_stance_is__against__the_interest_of_Scottish_business/
  11. ↑ http://www.thenational.scot/news/16038858.Scottish_businesses_call_for__urgent_clarity__on_which_EU_powers_will_be_devolved_to_Holyrood/
  12. ↑ https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/ministers-urge-scottish-government-to-copy-irish-brexit-voucher-scheme/
  13. ↑ "BHS inquiry". UK Parliament. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  14. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/09/mike-ashley-asked-to-explain-camera-mps-sports-direct-visit-warehouse
  15. ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/07/six-mps-surprise-visit-sports-direct-shirebrook-warehouse
  16. ↑ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellethomson/
  17. ↑ 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.
  18. ↑ Tufft, Ben (8 May 2015). "Scottish MPs in Westminster: The full list of the SNP parliamentarians". The Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  19. ↑ Hannan, Martin (7 July 2015). "Meet your new Scottish MPs: #34 Michelle Thomson, Edinburgh West". The National. Scotland.
  20. ↑ "Michelle Thomson MP recalls being raped at age of 14". BBC News. 8 December 2016. Retrieved 8 December 2016.
  21. ↑ Jackson, Russell (22 April 2017). "Michelle Thomson to step down as MP after SNP ruling". The Scotsman. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  22. ↑ Macaskill, Mark; Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (20 September 2015). "SNP MP snaps up homes of struggling families". The Times. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  23. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (29 September 2015). "Police launch inquiry into property deals involving SNP MP". The Herald. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
  24. ↑ https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/ex-snp-mp-michelle-thomson-urges-nicola-sturgeon-to-apologise-to-her-after-being-cleared-in-mortgage-fraud-probe/
  25. ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15456354.Michelle_Thomson_breaks_her_silence___My_two_years_of_hell_/
  26. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-40842247
  27. ↑ "MP contacts police over mortgage fraud probe involving her lawyer". STV News. 1 October 2015.
  28. ↑ http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14522314.Suspended_SNP_MP_reveals_lack_of_police_contact_amid_property_firm_investigation/
  29. ↑ "Michelle Thomson: Fraud case against former SNP MP dropped". BBC News. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  30. ↑ https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/kenny-macaskill-lessons-to-be-learned-from-michelle-thomson-case-1-4526930
  31. ↑ https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-40910096/
  32. ↑ https://internationalbanker.com/banking/why-banks-must-change//
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Mike Crockart		 Member of Parliament
for Edinburgh West
2015–2017		 Succeeded by
Christine Jardine
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