Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds apologises to House for 'inadvertently' claiming to be solicitor
12 March 2025, 19:55 | Updated: 12 March 2025, 20:23
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has apologised to the House for 'inadvertently' claiming to be a solicitor.
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Mr Reynolds said he should have made clear that he was a trainee solicitor when speaking during a debate on high speed rail.
The term "solicitor" is legally protected and it is an offence for someone to call themselves a solicitor if they are not qualified and registered with the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA).
Mr Reynolds has faced questions about his career in recent weeks and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer accepted an apology from him last month.
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Mr Reynolds worked as a trainee solicitor in Manchester but left his legal career behind when he entered politics. He was also accused of describing himself as a solicitor on his LinkedIn page, in the Commons and on an old constituency website that is no longer online.
Mr Reynolds, the MP for Stalybridge and Hyde, told the House of Commons on Wednesday evening: "On a point of order, it has come to my attention that in a speech I gave on April 28, 2014, recorded in column 614 of Hansard, on the subject of high speed rail, I made a reference to my experience of using our local transport system in Greater Manchester when I worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre.
"I should have made clear that specifically that was a reference at the time of being a trainee solicitor.
"This was an inadvertent error and although this speech was over a decade ago, as it has been brought to my attention, I would like to formally correct the record and I seek your advice on doing so."
Deputy Speaker Judith Cummins thanked Mr Reynolds for placing his correction on the record.
The Business Secretary faced a number of calls to resign following the blunder, with Tory MP Robert Jenrick previously saying: "In light of new evidence, I have asked the Solicitors Regulation Authority to investigate with a view to prosecuting.
"As a former director of public prosecutions, Starmer knows what criminal conduct looks like. Reynolds doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Starmer should sack him.”
Shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith, added that he had written to the PM's ethics adviser as a result, asking him to probe the claims.
Mr Griffith said that Mr Reynolds should "apologise and step down".
He added that Mr Reynolds "appears to have knowingly mislead the public".
