Labour’s Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been warned he could face prosecution if he ever again claims to have worked as a solicitor.
The Labour Cabinet minister previously told voters and Parliament he had been a solicitor in Manchester before becoming an MP but he was only ever a trainee and never qualified.
A bombshell report by The Telegraph reveals that watchdogs told him he could face presecution if he repeats the claim.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) confirmed last night that it had concluded its investigation — but delivered a stark warning.
A spokesman for the SRA said: “We have concluded our investigation. We do not consider it proportionate or in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings. However, we have advised that if the behaviour is repeated, we may well reconsider our position.”
Under Section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974, it’s a criminal offence for anyone to call themselves a solicitor unless they are officially qualified and registered.
Mr Reynolds, who quit his training contract at law firm Addleshaw Goddard in 2010 to stand for Parliament, never completed the qualification process.
The SRA probe was launched in February after it emerged Mr Reynolds had made multiple public statements and published campaign material claiming to be a solicitor. That includes a Commons speech, social media posts, and a leaflet from the 2015 general election, where he was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde.
Despite previously stating last week that the case had been “closed” and he had been “cleared” by the SRA, it now emerges the watchdog had issued a warning letter in May, cautioning that further breaches could lead to legal action.
When pressed on the probe at a Westminster lunch, Mr Reynolds admitted: “They came back shortly after that media period to say look, always be careful to be accurate, but there’s no misleading here, and there’s nothing else to look into.”
But the SRA appears to have taken a stricter view.
Tories have slammed the outcome, saying Reynolds is lucky to keep his job.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick raged: “The Business Secretary has had a lucky escape on a technicality. But in the court of public opinion he is bang to rights. In the real world you’d lose your job with that kind of behaviour, but in Starmer’s you stay at the top of government.”
A former Conservative MP told the Post: “If it was you or I who lied on our CV, we would be sacked.”
The row piles further pressure on Keir Starmer, who is already defending his Chancellor Rachel Reeves after accusations she embellished her own career history.
Ms Reeves reportedly listed herself as an “economist” on LinkedIn while working in a customer service role.
Opponents have branded it a pattern of dishonesty at the top of the Labour Party.
A former SRA staffer told The Post: “This isn’t a minor slip. You don’t get to play solicitor if you didn’t pass the test — especially when you’re sitting in the Cabinet.”
The SRA states on its website that calling yourself a solicitor without being registered is a criminal offence — whether in court, online, or in public campaigning.
Mr Reynolds apologised in Parliament earlier this year, saying he should have made clear that he was only ever a trainee.
But now, with the SRA’s warning letter hanging over him, any future slip could land the Business Secretary in legal hot water.
