Thomas Docherty

This article is part of the Nuclear Spin project of Spinwatch.

Thomas Docherty is a former communications consultant, who became the Labour Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Dunfermline and West Fife at the May 2010 general UK elections. He had previously worked worked for Network Rail, BNFL and as a research assistant to Scott Barrie, the former MSP for Dunfermline West.

Previously on shortlist for Sellafield constituency

In early 2005, Docherty was part of an "all-PR" shortlist to become Labour candidate for the constituency of Copeland, which includes BNFL's Sellafield plant. The constituency was previously held by Jack Cunningham, a longstanding advocate of nuclear power. The other people on the shortlist were:

• Jamie Reed, at the time a BNFL press officer
• Stuart Bruce of Bruce Marshall Associates and
• Tim Walker, a Bell Pottinger board director and former special adviser to Cunningham.

Reed was selected, and held the seat for Labour. Reporting the story shortly after the election, PR Week wryly observed: "What this can mean for the re-elected Labour government's commitment to pump billions into a raft of new nuclear power stations, we couldn't possibly say."

However another of the PR men on the shortlist, Stuart Bruce, seemed quite clear about the significance of Reed's electoral success. A few days after the election, he wrote: "One of the challenges facing Jamie will be to help push the government into an essential replacement programme for our nuclear power stations. Good luck."

Civil nuclear industry Scottish Cross-Party Group role

Docherty used to represent the UKAEA on the Scottish Parliament's Civil Nuclear Industry CPG, according to the CPG's website. After the Scottish Sunday Herald started researching the links between the CPG and lobbyists, Docherty's name was removed from the site.

Affiliations

• Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Bahrain
• Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Clean Coal