Jonathan Reynolds has been warned he faces prosecution if he repeats previous false claims that he worked as a solicitor.
The business secretary has been told by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) that he could be prosecuted if he claims again to have been a solicitor, despite never qualifying.
It came after the watchdog closed an investigation into the false claims made by Mr Reynolds, deciding it “did not consider it proportionate or in the public interest to bring criminal proceedings”.
“However, we have advised that if the behaviour is repeated, we may well reconsider our position,” the watchdog added.
A source close to Mr Reynolds told The Daily Telegraph: “We were happy to engage with the investigation. We’re glad it’s now concluded. Jonathan can now get on with doing the very important job that we are focused on.”
The SRA launched an investigation into the business secretary in February after it emerged he had claimed to be a member of the profession on his CV despite having never qualified.
The cabinet minister, who entered parliament before completing his training, claimed on his old constituency website that he was a solicitor at the Manchester branch of the law firm Addleshaw Goddard before becoming an MP. And in a 2014 speech to the House of Commons he said he had “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre”.
The SRA decided it would not take any further action, but is understood to have written to him with the warning not to repeat the claims in May. And Sir Keir Starmer accepted an apology from his business secretary over the false claims.
At a lunch with journalists in parliament last week, Mr Reynolds said the watchdog had warned him to be “careful” in future.
“They came back shortly after that media period to say look, always be careful to be accurate, but there’s no misleading here, and there’s nothing else to look into,” he added.
Critics called for Mr Reynolds to be sacked over the claims when they first emerged, with Nigel Farage even announcing plans to privately prosecute the business secretary.
The Reform UK leader told a rally in February: "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."
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”.
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.
Labour has previously blamed the reference to Mr Reynolds being a solicitor on LinkedIn to “human error”.
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