Criminal barristers to hold strike ballot after being told to ‘be patient’ by Dominic Raab
Criminal barristers will vote on whether to strike at the end of this month, after Dominic Raab told barristers to “be patient” while waiting for legal aid reform.
The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) will hold a strike ballot on 28 February, after the government failed to put forward its plans to reform criminal legal aid by the CBA’s deadline on Monday.
The strike ballot comes as barristers continue to wait for the government’s response to the Bellamy report, which calls for an extra £135m to be invested in legal aid each year.
The CBA had called on the government to respond to the Bellamy report by Monday 14 February, after the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it would respond by March.
In The Times last week, Justice Secretary Dominic Raab told criminal barristers to “be patient,” as he said he would not rush his response to the Bellamy report.
In response to the CBA’s plans to hold a strike ballot, Justice Minister James Cartlidge said it is “disappointing the CBA has decided to move to ballot on disruptive action” as he urged them to wait until March.
“Rushing our policy development and consultation as the CBA demands risks poorer outcomes and leaving us open to legal challenge,” Cartlidge said.