Steve Thatcher

Steve Thatcher is a personal insolvency solicitor. Based in Leicester, he is best known in the Republic of Ireland where he is a controversial figure due to his work helping Irish people move to the UK in order to go bankrupt there,[1][2] a trend known as bankruptcy tourism. In May 2012 it was reported in The Guardian newspaper that he had written off over €1 billion of Irish debt in the UK.[3] Though Thatcher dismisses the validity of the term 'bankruptcy tourism' and instead calls it 'bankruptcy emigration' as he says people have to emigrate to the UK in order to go bankrupt with the majority of his clients remaining in the UK once their bankruptcy is complete.[4]

Thatcher has been a fervent critic of the reform of Ireland's personal insolvency laws, outlining that they do not go far enough and that laws there should be brought into line with the UK.[5][6][4][7]

References

  1. ↑ Keenan, Mark (10 July 2012). "British bankruptcy specialists see Irish clients treble despite new law". Irish Independent (Independent News & Media). Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Bankruptcy tourists cross Irish Sea". RTÉ News (Raidió Teilifís Éireann). 20 December 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2011.
  3. ↑ McDonald, Henry (27 May 2012). "Irish dodge debts through UK 'bankruptcy tourism': Bankrupt clients from Ireland have used a Leicester solicitor and UK courts to wipe out more than €1bn debts taken out in the republic". The Guardian (Guardian Media Group). Retrieved 27 May 2012.
  4. 1 2 Hennessy, Mark (11 January 2013). "Bankruptcy in Britain still an option for Irish". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  5. ↑ "'Extraordinary' rise in number of Irish people seeking UK bankruptcy". RTÉ News (Raidió Teilifís Éireann). 4 February 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Quinlan, Ronald (6 January 2013). "Bankruptcy in UK – not just for rich and famous: The UK's more benign bankruptcy regime may still attract Irish people". Sunday Independent (Independent News & Media). Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Walsh, John (28 February 2013). "Shatter bid to stop ‘bankruptcy tourism’". Irish Examiner (Thomas Crosbie Holdings). Retrieved 28 February 2013.
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