On 6 January solicitors and barristers in England and Wales walked out of court for the first time ever in protest at cuts to criminal legal aid. Protests took place in London, Manchester, Birmingham and a number of other cities. Many cases were adjourned to facilitate the protest. Cases involving vulnerable individuals such as rape victims were not disrupted.
Current proposals will cut £220 million per year from the legal aid budget. Justice Secretary, Chris Grayling, has faced fierce criticism from the legal profession in recent months over the planned cuts. Bulletin readers may recall that the UK government was forced to reverse plans to introduce price competitive tendering for legal aid contracts in September following outcry from the legal profession.
Former Director of Public Prosecutions, Ken McDonald was highly critical of the cuts, stating “I fear that Mr Grayling is in danger of destroying something that he doesn't fully understand which is a criminal justice system which is as good as any in the world, which is fair and which supports people who don't have money as well as people who do...”.
Click here to read coverage of the protests in the Guardian.