Nigel Farage has announced plans to privately prosecute Jonathan Reynolds, the Business Secretary, over claims he misrepresented his legal background.
Speaking at a Reform UK event in Cornwall, Farage criticised Reynolds, stating, "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."
He added: "I can tell you tonight that there will be a private prosecution brought against Jonathan Reynolds."
Reynolds previously worked as a trainee solicitor in Manchester before transitioning from law to politics.
The accusations stem from claims that he has referred to himself as a solicitor on his LinkedIn profile, in the House of Commons, and on a now-defunct constituency website.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) states that it is a criminal offence for an individual to identify or act as a solicitor without being officially registered on the roll of solicitors.
This could include someone “describing themselves as a solicitor on their social media profiles”.
Last week the SRA said it would reinvestigate Mr Reynolds after “further information” came to light.
The watchdog said on Friday: “We looked at that issue at the time we became aware of it and contacted Mr Reynolds about the profiles.
“The materials were corrected, and we closed the matter with no further action based on all the evidence we had at the time.
“However, we’ve now become aware of further information, so we will look at this.”
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 SRA.
Previously a Labour source suggested the reference to Mr Reynolds being a solicitor on his LinkedIn profile was “human error” and said Mr Reynolds did not manage the profile.
