Suella Braverman accused of faking contribution to law textbook when ‘all she was asked to do was photocopy’

Home Secretary Suella Braverman (PA Wire)

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is being accused of embellishing her lawyer’s CV by claiming she contributed to a seminal law textbook before the actual author came out and insisted he had just asked her to “do some photocopying”.

Ms Braverman hit the headlines this week by claiming Britain has too many low-skilled migrant workers ahead of the Conservative Party Conference in Liverpool.

It came as the author of 2007 textbook Gambling for Local Authorities, Licensing, Planning and Regeneration, which Braverman said she had contributed to on her barristers’ chambers profile, had merely asked her for some photocopying.

The Home Secretary hastily deleted her claim, made before she became an MP, but a copy of the web page is still available online through the Internet Archive.

But the book’s author, Philip Kolvin KC, told the Big Issue Braverman “did not make a written or editorial contribution to the book”.

Kolvin confirmed his account to The Standard, adding: “However on one occasion I asked her to do some photocopying for the book, which she did.”

Staff at No5, a leading barristers’ chambers, where Ms Braverman previously worked as a pupil when the textbook was published, told The Big Issue she had asked them to remove her profile after being contacted by the magazine.

Suella Braverman ran for the Tory leadership (PA Wire)

The profiles act as a CV for lawyers and are submitted by the individuals themselves. Many barristers are self employed, with the chambers the rooms they use while working.

A Home Office spokesman denied that the story is a matter for the government department and recommended contacting Ms Braverman’s constituency office. Her constituency office has so far not replied to a request for comment.

The claim came as the former Conservative leadership candidate said reducing migration was an aim shared by all of the prime minister’s senior ministers.

“What we’ve got is too many low skilled workers coming into this country,” she told The Sun. “We’ve also got a very high number of students coming into this country and we’ve got a really high number of dependents.”

Braverman is considering new laws to make it easier to deport people who come to the UK illegally and will call for the French to stop more boats crossing the English Channel.

In 2016 Andrea Leadsom was accused of exaggerating her role at a bank on her CV.