Has Jack Thompson started working for the UK Government as Keith Vaz’s assistant? Surprisingly, it seems so. Either that, or Mr. Vaz has co-incidentally employed somebody who shares their name with the disbarred Miami attorney.

A few weeks ago, Labour MP Keith Vaz made a few remarks about the distasteful flash game “Kaboom”. Concerned I may have gotten the wrong end of the stick and were criticising Mr. Vaz unfairly, I contacted him looking for a few clarifications. I was rather surprised at the reply I received.

I got the reply within 15 minuets of sending the original email, but that wasn’t the strange thing. The email itself was sent from Keith Vaz’s email address, but was signed Jack Thompson.

Dear Mr Kershaw

Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP has asked me to thank you for your email regarding his comments on the internet-based video game, Kaboom. I would be most grateful if you could let me know the questions you wanted to ask Mr Vaz and the issues you would like to raise regarding the game.

With best wishes
Yours sincerely

Jack Thompson
Parliamentary Assistant
Office of Rt Hon Keith Vaz MP

Could this be the Jack Thompson? I began searching for a reasonable and contacted GP’s Dennis. He told me the pair were in contact, but the “Parliamentary Assistant” part was a new one on him. I responded to Mr. Thompson with an email full of questions for Mr. Vaz and a few days later heard back, but not from Thompson (instead, I received an email from one of Vaz’s other PAs, Lizzie Dowd).

My efforts to get a response from Mr. Vaz himself eventually became fruitless and I was simply forwarded on to the official transcript from the debate held last week.

Was it simply a mistake then that I had received an email implying Thompson was Vaz’s Parliamentary Assistant? I decided to look into it further.

When an MP wants an assistant, they must be listed on the “Register Of Interests Of Members’ Secretaries And Research Assistants” (found here). The Register is used by MPs to declare who they are employing, and any special relationship they may have. Many MPs have members of their family’s on the list (often simply to grant them easier access to their significant other at work).

The rules state that anybody who gains more than £310 worth of either gifts or payment must be on the list. And there, on the list of staff, is one Mr Jack Thompson.

A name which has only appeared on the most recent update to the Register (as far as I can find). Meaning his appointment as Parliamentary Assistant is a recent one.

But is this really the same Jack Thompson who we all know oh so well? Surely the chance of Keith Vaz, the most prominent anti-violent videogame MP in the UK Government, employing somebody with that name is unrealistically small? I contacted Thompson directly to find out, who replied.

I don’t believe I have been assisting him. Who are you?

Jack Thompson

I forwarded on the email sent from Vaz’s address signed with his name, but have yet to hear anything back. Could it really be just a co-incidence? Hopefully the situation will be cleared up by either Vaz or Thompson in the next few weeks.

A full transcript of the emails I sent and received from Vaz and Thompson can be found here.