Solicitors regulator launches investigation of asylum claim law firms

The solicitors' watchdog successful England and Wales has confirmed it is investigating instrumentality firms accused of helping clients marque mendacious asylum claims.

It comes aft a Daily Mail reporter, posing arsenic an economical migrant, asked instrumentality firms for assistance applying for asylum.

Two companies allegedly agreed to assistance devise fictional backstories aimed astatine expanding the occurrence of a claim.

Justice Secretary Alex Chalk has urged the regulator to usage the "full unit of sanctions" astatine its disposal.

Writing to the Solicitors Regulation Authority, Mr Chalk said: "Solicitors are captious to the cognition of a just migration system. I cognize that the overwhelming bulk instrumentality their nonrecreational duties and obligations highly seriously.

"However, immoderate examples of practices which autumn abbreviated of the precocious ethical standards we expect of solicitors hazard superior disruption to the migration system, tarnishing the estimation of those moving successful this area, and critically undermining nationalist confidence."

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak echoed his minister's sentiments saying: "It is captious that those recovered to beryllium abusing their presumption look the afloat consequences of their actions."

A spokesperson for the regulator said: "We tin corroborate we are investigating the firms/individuals. As a effect of the accusation provided, we are looking to instrumentality urgent enactment to marque definite the nationalist are protected.

"If we find grounds that solicitors oregon firms we modulate person acted successful ways that contravene our rules, and successful peculiar their work to enactment legally and uphold the law, we tin and volition instrumentality action."

Last November, the regulator carried retired a review of the migration and asylum assemblage which concluded it was mostly "satisfied with the prime of work being provided".

Following the reappraisal it issued caller guidance connected migration enactment and committed to producing a further study successful 12 to 18 months.

Mr Chalk said the follow-up reappraisal should beryllium carried retired "as soon arsenic possible".

The Solicitors Regulation Authority monitors much than 200,000 solicitors successful England and Wales. As portion of its enactment it monitors solicitors to guarantee they are complying with the rules and investigates concerns. It besides has the powerfulness to adjacent down firms.

The Daily Mail published its story connected Monday.