England and Wales: Criminal barristers strike over ‘relentless cuts’

In a document circulated to members, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said barristers “should consider not taking any work under representation orders from 1 April 2018”.

It follows a ballot of 2,317 barristers in which 90 per cent said they wanted to take action to secure investment in criminal justice.

The CBA said the “final straw” was the UK government’s refusal to invest in a scheme to pay for legal aid work, with barristers’ fees having been cut by nearly 40 per cent over the past two decades.

It also complained that there is no provision for payment for consideration of disclosure in either the old or the new legal aid scheme, which recent cases had demonstrated “could make the difference between freedom and years inside prison”.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said it is “extremely disappointed” by the position taken by the CBA, and that the controversial reforms to legal aid represent “better value for the taxpayer”.