IT is good for a parliamentary whip to have a strong side to his or her personality, and in the case of SNP whip Owen Thompson it helps that he really is one tough fellow.
Just a few weeks after his stunning win in Midlothian on May 7, Thompson completed the famous Tough Mudder endurance course.
The gruelling challenge combines a race over ten miles of cross-country routes across Dumfries, and includes mental and physical challenges such as being immersed in ice, running through electric wires and clambering over walls and through tunnels.
Thompson undertook the challenge to raise funds and awareness for local group Dynamic Dads, part of Sure Start Midlothian, a charity that helps families across his constituency.
Thompson commented: “I met the Dynamic Dads group during the election campaign and I was really impressed by the work the group are doing to help and support dads, grandfathers and male carers in Midlothian and I immediately offered to do this year’s Tough Mudder.
“I’m happy to report that while bumped and bruised, I came through in one piece and hope this has helped raise the profile for the guys and generate a little additional funding for them.”
Thompson, a keen supporter of Aberdeen FC, has also already turned out for the UK Parliament’s football club. Last month they played against Prostate Cancer UK’s Men United XI at Fulham’s Motspur Park when the Parliamentarians, captained by Clive Betts, were beaten 6-2 despite a valiant effort.
A former council leader in Midlothian, Thompson became the MP for the constituency in a landslide victory in the General Election that saw Labour stalwart David Hamilton’s supposedly safe seat transformed by a 23 per cent swing to the SNP.
Thompson’s father was minister at Loanhead Parish Church and the new MP for the area began his political career aged eight, delivering leaflets for the SNP.
He studied accountancy and finance at Napier University and worked briefly in financial services before gaining his council seat in a by-election in 2005, the youngest councillor in Scotland at the time.
Now working under SNP chief whip Mike Weir, Thompson confesses that his job is much easier than that of whips in other parties because of the dedication and passion of the SNP's
56 MPs.
He said: “The traditional image of a whip is of someone whose sole job is to make sure that MPs turn up and vote the right way, but I’m finding that it’s just not an issue for us as we have a very good team who are very focused on what we are doing at Westminster.
“Some parties do need that kind of whip – Labour are all over the place just now, as was proven by their 48 rebels on the Welfare Bill. But I’m finding that just keeping good communications with our members is my main task.”
Thompson added: “It helps that I had experience of council work for almost ten years, the last two of them as leader.”
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