Reynolds sorry for calling himself solicitor but denies ‘misrepresentating’
Jonathan Reynolds has apologised for describing himself as a solicitor in Parliament, but has insisted he was not “misrepresenting myself professionally”.
The business secretary has been accused of claiming to have been a solicitor, despite only ever being a trainee, before becoming an MP, including in a 2014 speech in the House of Commons, on a personal website and on his LinkedIn profile, as reported by Guido Fawkes.
Labour sources have described the LinkedIn issue as a human or admin error from Reynolds’ office, and said his former constituency website was not written by him.
It came as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage promised a private prosecution against Reynolds over the accusations, and claimed the minister has “never had a proper job in his life”.
Now Reynolds, who is in New Delhi, India to restart talks on a trade deal, has apologised for referring to himself as a solicitor in the Commons, while discussing transport issues.
He told the Guardian that “over a decade ago” he had “used shorthand” in a speech that was “not a speech about the legal profession or legal regulation or the law”.
The minister added: “I apologise for that, but again, I don’t think anyone would have interpreted that in any way that I was misrepresenting myself professionally.
“And I just want to be absolutely clear, for a speech, I think, and I think a tweet or maybe a Facebook post over a decade ago – I don’t think it’s a huge deal, but I should apologise for that if anyone has misunderstood that, but I don’t think they have.”
Reynolds also said he had spoken to the Solicitors’ Regulation Authority (SRA) last week after it told him it was deciding whether to open a formal investigation.
The watchdog announced on Friday it would reopen an investigation into the accusations Reynolds had misrepresented his legal career, after it became aware of “further information”
It followed a statement earlier that week that the SRA had contacted Reynolds about his social media profiles in January but initially decided to take “no further action”.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said he has written to the regulator asking whether Reynolds had misrepresented his legal career, including by telling the Commons in 2014 that he had “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre”.
But Reynolds claimed the “personal attacks” from the Conservatives, who don’t “have an agenda yet to come back to the country with”, were designed to “distract the government”,
He said he had written to the Prime Minister to apologise, which Keir Starmer had accepted.
Andrew Griffith, shadow business secretary, hit back, stating: “This is a ‘sorry, not sorry apology’ delivered to a friendly journalist over 4,000 miles away rather than face his critics at home.
“He is still failing to take responsibility, claiming this was a ‘misinterpretation’ despite it being a specific legal offence to use the term ‘solicitor’ which he must have known and for which he is being investigated by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority.”
Griffith added: “Despite his false claim being made over many years and multiple times in print, online and in Parliament, he continues to insist it is ‘not a huge deal’.
“The business secretary lied to Parliament and to his constituents. He should do the honourable thing and resign – but if not, the Prime Minister should sack him.”
While Farage told attendees at a Reform UK event in Cornwall: “Jonathan Reynolds, who’s never had a proper job in his life, who tells us he’s a solicitor when he’s never been qualified, which is a criminal offence.
“I can tell you tonight that there will be a private prosecution brought against Jonathan Reynolds.”
According to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) “it is a criminal offence for someone to call themselves a solicitor or act as a solicitor if they are not on the roll of solicitors”.
This could include someone “describing themselves as a solicitor on their social media profiles”, as the term ‘solicitor’ is legally protected.