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Fiona Onasanya, a former British Member of Parliament (MP) of Nigerian descent, has been struck off the roll of solicitors in the United Kingdom following a criminal conviction for perverting the course of justice.
Onasanya, who was born and raised in the UK and once dreamed of becoming Britain’s first Black female Prime Minister, saw her ambitions crumble after a string of lies surrounding a speeding offence in 2017.
The incident that triggered her downfall occurred shortly after 10 p.m. on July 24, 2017, when her car was caught speeding at 41 mph in a 30 mph zone in Thorney, Cambridgeshire. When contacted by police, Onasanya claimed she was not driving and identified her brother, Festus Onasanya, as the one behind the wheel.
Further investigation revealed that both siblings had conspired to name Aleks Antipow, a former lodger of her brother, as the driver. However, Antipow was in Russia—1,800 miles away—at the time, making the story fall apart under scrutiny.
The former Labour MP and ex-commercial property lawyer was eventually convicted at the Old Bailey for perverting the course of justice and sentenced to three months in prison. Her brother received a 10-month sentence for conspiracy.
Following her conviction, the Labour Party launched a successful recall petition, leading to her removal as the MP for Peterborough.
But her punishment didn’t end there.
The Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) held a hearing to determine her professional fate. Despite arriving at the tribunal with her mother and continuing to deny wrongdoing, the panel found that Onasanya had acted dishonestly, failed to uphold the rule of law, and betrayed the trust placed in her by the public.
“As a parliamentarian makes the law, so a solicitor must uphold the law and rule of law, and sadly in this case, Ms Onasanya has failed in those duties,” said tribunal chair Edward Nally. “We must strike off Onasanya from the roll of solicitors.”
The decision marks a significant fall from grace for Onasanya, who qualified as a solicitor in 2015 and was elected to Parliament in 2017.
Her case has become a stark reminder of the high standards expected of public servants and legal professionals in the UK—where integrity is non-negotiable.
For observers in Nigeria, where political accountability is often murky, the case has sparked reflections on leadership standards and the consequences of dishonesty. In contrast to a culture where ethical breaches often go unpunished, Onasanya’s downfall underscores the unyielding stance of the British justice system: leadership begins with integrity, and no one is above the law.
English (US) ·