Business Secretary faces calls to resign over 'fabricated CV' after falsely claiming to be a solicitor

20 February 2025, 06:12

The business secretary is facing calls to resign after it emerged he referred to himself as a solicitor on his CV - despite never qualifying.

Labour minister Johnathan Reynolds had previously claimed he worked as a solicitor at a Manchester-based law firm before becoming an MP.

It comes despite the fact the MP never completed his training contract, after quitting the profession to work in parliament in 2010.

It's alleged the Labour MP featured the claim he was a solicitor on his old constituency website, as well as on a CV, leading to calls for legal watchdogs to launch a probe.

On Wednesday, it emerged that the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) wrote to Reynolds last month with concerns about the profile.

Mr Reynolds claimed to have worked as a solicitor at the Manchester branch of the law firm Addleshaw Goddard before becoming an MP.

The cabinet minister had described himself as a solicitor on his LinkedIn profile - a claim his team say was an "administrative error".

The page has since been corrected, according to the BBC, amid further claims he was both a “trainee solicitor” and a “solicitor” with an overlap in dates.

It's also claimed that during a speech in 2014, referencing a piece of transport legislation, he told the House of Commons he had “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre”.

However, a spokesman said: “Our regulatory role is to protect the interests of users of legal services.

Read more: Starmer shows support for 'democratically elected' Zelenskyy after Trump 'dictator' comments

Read more: Senior Tories blast 'out of touch' judge for 'ludicrous attack' on Starmer’s migrant remarks

"We are aware of this issue: however, having considered all factors involved, there is no need for us to take any action.”

It follows comments from Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, who said: “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 he had written to the PM's ethics adviser as a result, asking him to probe the claims.

Griffith added that Reynolds should "apologise and step down".

He added that Mr Reynolds "appears to have knowingly mislead the public".

It comes as Reform UK added their voice to calls for his resignation or for the Sir Keir Starmer to sack the business secretary.