Conservatives are calling for the prosecution of Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds after he wrongly described himself as a solicitor.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick, himself a qualified solicitor, stepped up attacks on the Labour politician in a letter to watchdog the Solicitors Regulation Authority urging them to act.
And he demanded Sir Keir Starmer sack his Cabinet colleague, saying: “Reynolds doesn’t have a leg to stand on.”
It comes after the watchdog wrote to Mr Reynolds in January ordering him to correct his LinkedIn profile, This described Mr Reynolds as a solicitor when in fact he had worked as a trainee with law firm Addleshaw Goddard LLP in Manchester but never qualified.
Labour sources say this was an “inadvertent error” that was corrected immediately. It is a criminal offence for an unqualified person “wilfully” to claim or imply that they are a solicitor.
In a letter to the Solicitors Regulation Authority Mr Jenrick said: “For over a decade Jonathan Reynolds claimed to be a solicitor in Parliament, on his website, online CV, social media.”
He claimed that was “a prima facie breach” of the law, adding: “Your own guidance states that falsely describing yourself as a solicitor on your social media profile is a criminal offence. I therefore urge you to investigate this matter with a view to bring forward a prosecution.
“As a former solicitor myself, and Shadow Lord Chancellor, I believe it is critical to maintaining public confidence in the profession that clear breaches of the law like this are dealt with swiftly and robustly.”
Labour sources say the Business Secretary “engaged fully” with the Solicitors Regulation Authority and corrected the “administrative error” on his LinkedIn CV.
The watchdog has confirmed that it is satisfied and will not take any further action, the source said.
An SRA spokesperson said: “We are aware of this issue, however having considered all factors involved, there is no need for us to take any action.”
Mr Reynolds also told the House of Commons in 2014: “Before the last election, I worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre.”
And an archived version of Mr Reynolds’ website from 2013 stated: “Jonathan Reynolds was elected as the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde at the 2010 General Election.
“Prior to this, he was an elected member of Tameside Council, representing the Longdendale ward, which is within the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency. He also worked as a solicitor in the Manchester office of law firm Addleshaw Goddard.”
His website how states that he was “offered a training contract to become a solicitor”.
Tories have also written to Sir Laurie Magnus, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics adviser, urging him to investigate “potential breaches of the ministerial code.”
If Mr Reynolds is fired or forced to resign it would come as a huge blow to Sir Keir who has already lost two senior ministers since taking power. Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh resigned after it emerged she pleaded guilty to a fraud offence a decade ago and former Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq quit after growing pressure over an anti-corruption investigation in Bangladesh.
It comes after the BBC revealed that Chancellor Rachel Reeves listed on her LinkedIn profile her time at the Bank of England as lasting longer than it did. Reeves’s team said the inaccuracy was due to an administrative error by the member of staff who set up the profile.
