A novice solicitor who asked a question in the BBC Conservative Party leaders’ debate has been suspended after reports emerged about a previous social media posting.
Aman Thakar, a former Labour council candidate, is employed by London firm Leigh Day in its employment department and appeared as ‘Aman from London’ near the end of last night’s programme.
Within hours of his appearance on Tuesday evening, it was revealed Thakar had sarcastically joked on Twitter about Hitler’s legacy. Today he offered his ‘full and sincere’ apologies and posted images intended to provide context on his previous post.
In a statement, Leigh Day said: ‘We have been made aware of a tweet which we are taking very seriously. Mr Thakar has been suspended with immediate effect from the firm whilst we carry out an internal investigation into these matters.’
Earlier this year, the SRA issued new guidance to solicitors on their social media activity, saying that serious sanctions would be imposed where the communication involves aggravating features. Where posts demonstrate a lack of integrity, or where they demonstrate discrimination, those responsible will generally be referred to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal.
Thakar was admitted as a solicitor last September and is listed on the Find a Solicitor site as an assistant at the firm. It has been reported he previously worked at Labour Party headquarters.
Another contributor to the debate, which featured all five candidates to be Conservative leader, has reportedly already been suspended from his job at a primary school after details about his previous tweets emerged.
