Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has been accused of “fabricating his CV” after describing himself as a solicitor when he did not qualify.
Mr Reynolds claimed he worked as a solicitor for law firm Addleshaw Goddard before becoming an MP.
He also told the House of Commons in 2014 that he “worked as a solicitor in Manchester city centre” before switching careers.
But he did not qualify for the title because he did not complete his training contract, it has emerged.
This meant he did not register with the Solicitors Regulation Authority, which is required to legally practice.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick accused Mr Reynolds of lying about his job history.
In a post on X, he wrote: “Reynolds was never a solicitor. Like the Chancellor, the Business Secretary fabricated his CV.”
Sources close to the Business Secretary have said Mr Reynolds repeatedly insisted he was only a « trainee » solicitor.
The discrepancies in his professional career are being attributed to administrative errors by members of Mr Reynolds’ team, it is understood.
An Instagram post from 2023 stated: « I enjoyed going back to my old law firm @addleshawgoddard on Friday to take part in their event ‘Powering Through Uncertainty: the Future for North West Businesses’.
« I learnt so much there and still have many good friends and memories from being a trainee solicitor. »
The Guido Fawkes political website claimed Mr Reynolds stated on his LinkedIn profile that he was a “solicitor” and a “trainee solicitor” between 2009 and 2010.
An archived version of Mr Reynolds’ website from 2013 stated: “Jonathan Reynolds was elected as the Member of Parliament for Stalybridge and Hyde at the 2010 General Election.
“Prior to this, he was an elected member of Tameside Council, representing the Longdendale ward, which is within the Stalybridge and Hyde constituency. He also worked as a solicitor in the Manchester office of law firm Addleshaw Goddard.”
His current website states that he was “offered a training contract to become a solicitor with Addleshaw Goddard LLP in Manchester”, describing it as a “fantastic place to work”.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has also dodged questions about why she has had to repeatedly change her CV, after she admitted to exaggerating the time spent working for the Bank of England.
Despite claiming to have spent nearly 10 years working at Threadneedle Street, she now admits to spending less than six years there working as an analyst.
Treasury sources insisted the latest error was an administrative mistake by a member of her team.
It was the second major amendment to her LinkedIn profile since becoming Chancellor, after she was caught exaggerating her role at HBOS.
Questioned about the latest inaccuracy, Ms Reeves argued that voters will “judge me on the job I’m doing now as Chancellor of the Exchequer, to grow the economy and put more money in the pockets of working people.”
A Labour source said: “This is a passing reference in a five-minute speech where Jonathan is talking about commuting, as part of a discussion on rail. It’s not a discussion on his professional background.
“There are countless examples where he has said he was a trainee. This is a matter of public record.”
The source also said that the information on the archived webpage was written in the third person and should therefore not be attributed to Mr Reynolds.
