Jonathan Reynolds risks ban from practising law over CV scandal

Telegraph

5 hours ago

Jonathan Reynolds risks being barred from practising law after the scandal over false claims on his CV, The Telegraph can reveal.
The solicitors' watchdog decided not to prosecute the Business Secretary over allegations that he lied about his legal career after it found a lack of evidence to justify the move.
However, The Telegraph has learnt that several concerns raised about Mr Reynolds's claims were investigated 'no further' because the incidents in question took place more than two years ago.
If those 'time-barred' matters were ever substantiated, they could be held against Mr Reynolds if he tries to qualify as a solicitor in future.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said the revelations proved that the Business Secretary had not been cleared of wrongdoing.
He said: 'Reynolds hasn't been cleared of breaking the law. The SRA [Solicitors Regulation Authority] have just decided not to investigate because it happened more than two years ago.
'The evidence of his persistent false claims over many years is clear for everyone to see. If the SRA investigated, they would have found him bang to rights.'
'Safe on a technicality'
Andrew Griffith, the shadow business secretary, said: 'The Business Secretary repeatedly lied about being a solicitor and was caught out. In the private sector he is destroying he would long have been sacked.
'He may think he's safe on a technicality, but it's unclear how any hard working businesses can trust him now.'
Backlash over the Business Secretary's CV erupted in February after it emerged he had said on several occasions that he worked as a solicitor before becoming an MP.
In fact, he did not qualify for the title because he never finished his training contract with Addleshaw Goddard, a law firm, having quit in 2010 to run for Parliament.
The SRA initially said it would not be taking any action after Mr Reynolds updated his online CV to remove a claim he held the legally-protected role.
But it launched a fresh investigation for 'further information' about the Business Secretary's conduct after Mr Jenrick demanded action with a 'view to prosecuting'.
Under Section 21 of the Solicitors Act 1974, it is illegal for any unqualified person to take or use 'any name, title, addition or description' implying they are qualified to act as a solicitor.
Prosecutions for breaches of this kind are subject to strict time limits, meaning the case must be brought within two years of the alleged offence or six months from its first discovery by the prosecutor, whichever expires first.
Insufficient evidence for prosecution
The SRA confirmed last week that it had closed its investigation into Mr Reynolds, arguing it was neither proportionate nor in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings.
In a letter to Parliament's standards watchdog in May, seen by The Telegraph, the regulator said it had found insufficient evidence to justify a prosecution.
But it revealed that it had not looked 'further' into some of the concerns raised because they related to matters that occurred more than two years ago.
If substantiated, it said these incidents could be 'relevant' if Mr Reynolds tries to qualify as a solicitor in future.
The letter said: 'A number of the concerns investigated demonstrably occurred earlier than the two year period stated in section 26.
'As such matters are time-barred and could not be the subject of a lawful prosecution under section 21, the SRA has determined to investigate and consider them no further for this reason.
'Time-barred matters, if substantiated, could however be relevant should Mr Reynolds apply in the future to be admitted as a solicitor.'
Mr Reynolds previously claimed on his website and in the Commons that he worked as a solicitor in Manchester before becoming an MP, and implied that he had held the role in a post on Twitter, now X, in 2011.
He made the same claim in a campaign leaflet for the 2015 general election, at which he was re-elected as MP for Stalybridge and Hyde.
He also previously stated on his LinkedIn profile that he was simultaneously a 'solicitor' and a 'trainee solicitor' between 2009 and 2010.
The Telegraph revealed that he was warned a decade ago not to lie about his legal career, but dismissed the concerns, accusing the complainant of 'reading too much' into his comments.
In its letter to Daniel Greenberg, the parliamentary standards commissioner, the SRA said any unqualified person wilfully referring to themselves as a solicitor was 'potentially a serious issue'.
However, it said: 'Taking account of the explanations offered, our investigation did not find evidence sufficient to justify the bringing of a prosecution in evidential terms. Nor was it considered that a prosecution would be proportionate or in the public interest.
'Generally, the SRA would be more likely to regard the public interest as justifying a prosecution (if justified by our analysis of the evidence and explanations offered) where the person has engaged directly with consumers of legal services, public protection being a fundamental aspect of our regulatory remit; or where there were a material risk of repetition.'
A source close to the Business Secretary said: 'Mr Reynolds was happy to cooperate with an investigation by the SRA, which has now concluded with no further action. He is pleased to continue working hard on the post-Brexit trade deals the Conservatives failed to deliver.'