Business Secretary is accused of fabricating his CV and claiming he was a solicitor – despite never qualifying_Nhy
Jonathan Reynolds falsely claimed that he was a solicitor despite never formally qualifying as one, it has emerged.
The Business Secretary is facing accusations he ‘fabricated his CV’ after he told the Commons in 2014 he had ‘worked as a solicitor in Manchester City Centre’, a claim he repeated on his website where it showed he worked for law firm Addleshaw Goddard.
After becoming a MP in 2011, Mr Reynolds suggested in a tweet that he found being an elected representative was better for work-life balance than working as a solicitor or a councillor.
This was despite the fact he abandoned training as a solicitor in 2010 in order to run for Parliament – and therefore never achieved the title.
Legal professionals in England and Wales must be registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority in order to be able to legally practice as a solicitor.
But because he never completed his training course, Mr Reynolds was not able to legally register with the body.
The Telegraph reported screenshots of the Labour minister’s LinkedIn profile also show that he claimed to be simultaneously a solicitor and a ‘trainee solicitor’ between 2009 and 2010.
Under Section 17 of the Legal Services Act 2007, pretending to carry out a ‘reserved legal activity’ or using a title that implies a right to do so is an offence carrying a maximum of six months imprisonment and a fine of £5,000.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds (pictured) has been accused of ‘fabricating his CV’ after it emerged he had claimed to be a solicitor on several occasions despite never formally qualifying as one
Mr Reynolds’ profile has since been tweaked to erase any mention of being a qualified solicitor and only makes reference to his time as a trainee at Addleshaw Goddard.
Asked why he appeared to have previously misrepresented himself, a spokesperson for the Business Secretary said he had inadvertently told the House he had been a working solicitor but had tried to clarified he was a trainee.
The latest revelation comes amid questions of integrity among other cabinet ministers.
The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves came under fire after it emerged she had removed a claim on her own CV that she worked as an economist at the Bank of Scotland from 2006 to 2008.
Further doubts were raised after it transpired that Ms Reeves had claimed in a Who’s Who entry to have had work published in the prestigious Journal of Political Economy when she had in fact written in the European Journal of Political Economy.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick accused Mr Reynolds of ‘criminal conduct’ and said the Labour MP was ‘bang to rights’.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Mr Reynolds was ‘bang to rights’ and had committed a criminal offence
He wrote on X: ‘Reynolds was never a solicitor. Like the Chancellor, the Business Secretary fabricated his CV.
‘As a former Director of Public Prosecutions @Keir_Starmer should recognise criminal conduct when he sees it.’
A Labour source suggested that information posted on Mr Reynold’s website was written in the third person and therefore not by him.
In relation to the minister’s claims in the Commons, the source said the comment was a ‘passing reference’ made about commuting during a speech on railways and had on ‘countless examples’ made clear he had trained in the profession rather than formally practised.
MailOnline has contacted Mr Reynolds for comment.
