Draft:Ken Thomson (Scottish official)
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| Submission declined on 23 February 2024 by Asilvering (talk). This submission's references do not show that the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article—that is, they do not show significant coverage (not just passing mentions) about the subject in published, reliable, secondary sources that are independent of the subject (see the guidelines on the notability of people). Before any resubmission, additional references meeting these criteria should be added (see technical help and learn about mistakes to avoid when addressing this issue). If no additional references exist, the subject is not suitable for Wikipedia. Declined by Asilvering 8 months ago. | |
Comment: The title of this draft either has been disambiguated or will need to be disambiguated for acceptance.If this draft is accepted, the disambiguation page will need to be edited. Either an entry will need to be added, or an entry will need to be revised. The disambiguation page for the primary name is Kenneth Thomson (disambiguation). Robert McClenon (talk) 07:58, 2 February 2024 (UTC)
 | This article has no lead section. (February 2024) |
Ken Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Plausible Deniability COVID Operation Unicorn |
Ken Thomson is a former Scottish government and association official known for his role in helping other officials avoid scrutiny.
Thomson served as the Director General for Strategy and External Affairs at the Scottish Government for 12 years.[1] During this time, he was responsible for overseeing Operation Unicorn, which involved coordinating the Scottish ceremonies held in the aftermath of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Thomson was Donald Dewar's principal private secretary between 1997 and 1999. From 2005 onwards he was a senior advisor to Scottish ministers on constitutional policy, including working on the 2014 independence referendum..[1]
In evidence revealed by the UK Covid Inquiry, Thomson advised his Scottish Government colleagues to delete messages and reportedly told colleagues that "plausible deniability are my middle names".[2] Thomson denied that this advice was an attempt to hide from scrutiny.[3]
In a message to deputy chief medical officer Lesley Steedman, Thomson said: “Just to remind you (seriously), this is discoverable under FoI [freedom of information]. Know where the “clear chat” button is…”.[4]
In 2024, after testimony to the Covid inquiry, Thomson quit as chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS).[5]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Amery, Rachel (2024-01-22). "UK Covid Inquiry: Who is Ken Thomson? What has the former senior Scottish Government civil servant said about Covid WhatsApp messages and Nicola Sturgeon?". The Scotsman.
- ^ "Ex-Holyrood official who told colleagues to delete WhatsApps quits job over outcry". The Herald. 1 February 2024.
- ^ Walker, David (1 February 2024). "Former Holyrood boss Ken 'Plausible Deniability' Thomson quits new role". Scottish Daily Express.
- ^ Walker, David (1 February 2024). "Former Holyrood boss Ken 'Plausible Deniability' Thomson quits new role". Scottish Daily Express.
- ^ "Former top Scottish official quits new role after one month amid Covid Inquiry". The National. 1 February 2024.