Conservative councillor arrested over allegations of impersonating a barrister

A Conservative councillor in Guildford has claimed an investigation into her falsely claiming to be a barrister is in fact a racist campaign against her to undermine the council's local plan.

Cllr Monika Juneja has been claiming to be a barrister but was allegedly never called to the bar which means she isn't allowed to call herself a barrister and would be committing an offence to do so. Guildford Borough Council investigated Cllr Juneja and decided that she hadn't broken any rules but it was later discovered that the borough council had been incorrectly told by the Bar Council that it wasn't illegal to pretend to be a barrister when it is. Guildford Borough Council declined to re-open their investigation in Cllr Juneja's conduct.

The punishment for impersonating a barrister ranges from a fine up to two years in prison.