One of Nicola Sturgeon’s top civil servants has been caught on video telling colleagues his job is about “breaking up” the UK.
Ken Thomson’s shock statement has sparked calls from opposition MSPs for civil servants to concentrate on the cost of living crisis rather than independence.
As Director-General of Strategy and External Affairs, Thomson is one of the most senior civil servants in Sturgeon’s Government. His brief includes constitutional issues, external affairs and “intergovernmental relations”, effectively dealing with Whitehall.
At an internal Government event earlier this month, dubbed “mastering the civil service craft”, he told colleagues: “I’ll tell you a secret about why I’ve got ‘strategy’ in my job description. It’s a word that gets me through some doors in Whitehall, and then they discover that what I’m actually there to talk about is breaking up the Kingdom.”
Attendees laughed at Thomson’s remark, after which he said: “So it’s a shorthand for constitutional change.” The recording of the event was passed to the Record and last night sparked a furious response from opposition MSPs, who said it raised serious questions over the use of civil servants to bolster the case for independence.
Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “There are serious questions to answer about whether this is an appropriate use of time and energy by the civil service.”
Boyack added: “The SNP’s constitutional obsession might be the only thing that matters to them, but they cannot let it derail the Scottish Government’s work.
“That means leadership from the top to tackle the cost of living crisis, and supporting and retaining our NHS staff who have kept us going through COVID must be their priority to deliver a fairer, greener Scotland. More than ever we need our two governments to work to deliver for our constituents and businesses who need practical help now.”
Thomson’s comments came in the days leading up to the Supreme Court ruling last Wednesday, which rejected Holyrood’s legal right to stage indyref2. The Scottish Government has published papers by civil servants setting out a revised case for independence, but critics believe this practice should cease.
Figures revealed on Sunday showed that more than £1.5m of taxpayer cash would be spent on the salaries of civil servants tasked to work on the independence brief. It also emerged this week that top Whitehall officials, including partygate investigator Sue Gray, are examining the implications of the Court ruling for Scottish Government civil servants.
A Scottish Government source said the administration was only blocked from legislating on reserved matters but could still spend money on independence. But the role of civil servants in planning for independence is now being questioned after Thomson’s remarks.
Pamela Nash, chief executive of the pro-UK Scotland in Union, said: “It is not the job of civil servants, who we all pay for, to agitate for the break-up of the UK. Hearing what was said will confirm many of the suspicions people have about the conduct of this SNP government.
“It’s no wonder the Scottish Government is failing so badly in so many areas when these are the priorities being pursued by its most senior representatives. Nicola Sturgeon should condemn this behaviour and offer assurances that this toxic agenda will not infect other areas of the civil service.”
Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “Mr Thomson should reflect on whether his comments represent the high standards of the civil service and whether it was appropriate to say this in front of more junior staff.
“However, it speaks to a culture that stems from SNP ministers at the very top. They are finding ever more inventive ways to spend money and time on their bid to break up the UK, when every spare penny and minute should be devoted to the cost of living crisis and overwhelmed public services.
“The comments also reflect the dysfunctional relationship between the UK and Scottish governments. With huge challenges facing Scotland and the UK, both administrations need to focus on collaboration, not division.”
Tory MSP Donald Cameron said: “We all know that the Nationalists’ strategy amounts to nothing other than breaking up the UK, but civil servants should not be boasting that it’s their job. Given the court’s ruling, it’s unacceptable for taxpayers’ money and civil servants’ time to be spent like this.
“When there are serious questions about the SNP persisting with projects that may well be outwith the Scottish Government’s lawful competence, this is another example of their focus on their own constitutional obsessions.
“That is on top of the fact that it has always been the wrong priority, given other pressing issues, such as the cost-of-living crisis, that are of much more importance to Scots.
“The SNP Government should drop their obsession and immediately devote these resources to addressing Scottish households’ real needs.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “During an hour long Q&A session with Scottish Government staff on 17 November, the Director General for Strategy and External Affairs made an informal comment in response to a question about his job-title.
“As outlined during that session, the role of civil servants is to support Ministers in a way consistent with the Civil Service Code, good government, organisational values and the democratic process.”
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