22 July 2022
Criminal barristers went on strike for the full five days, as their escalating protest against low rates of pay for defence work entered its fourth week
Barristers targeted Birmingham and Winchester Crown Courts and Manchester Civil Justice Centre, while others petitioned their MPs at Parliament. The Criminal Bar Association, which is coordinating the action, said disruption to court business has been ‘extensive and severe’ and confirmed the action would continue until there was ‘substantive movement from government’.
Meanwhile, the latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures show the Crown Court backlog reduced by a mere 111 cases from 58,386 in April to 58,275 in May. Last May, the backlog stood at 60,232, which means the year-on-year reduction has been less than 2,000 cases.
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said the ‘glacial pace [was] leaving victims and defendants facing unacceptable delays’ and called for ‘sustained investment’ to ensure there were enough judges, prosecutors and defence lawyers.
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