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Clearly we need to see this judgment and consider if what the judge actually said is as reported. The problem is that WE will not give an ABSOLUTE warranty as to identity; I don't see why we should try to extract one from another firm in that case.
There is much talk about insurance but I suggest that (1) conveyancers agree to confirm in every case that they have taken reasonable steps to verify ID (2) Reasonable steps might be defined (3) the Government, which has mercilessly hiked SDLT, sets aside £20 per transaction and insures or self-insures and pays out under a government-backed scheme in cases of ID fraud. The "Residential Conveyancing Identity Fraud Compensation Scheme" would not be precluded from claiming reimbursement against a firm that did not carry out reasonable ID checks. We need to be pro-active in suggesting solutions because of the catastrophic consequences of such a fraud. Washing our collective hands of responsibility after the event just won't do.