New lord chancellor Brandon Lewis has called for an end to the ‘cycle of brinkmanship’ as he called for resolution to the barristers’ strike.

Speaking to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham yesterday, Lewis addressed the issue of the action directly, admitting it had created major problems within the court system since the summer.

The speech was littered with praise for the legal sector and had a much greater emphasis on the profession than in speeches given by his predecessors in recent years.

Lewis acknowledged that delays and backlogs had increased in the criminal courts and said that action was already underway to address these issues. But he stressed that bringing a close to the barristers’ strike remained the key priority for getting the justice system moving again.

‘While there are many challenges that have contributed to the backlog, the key to unlocking our clogged up courts will be ending the barristers’ strike over legal aid fees,’ said Lewis. ‘That strike action has had a devastating impact on victims and justice has been delayed in too many cases. We have to end the revolving door of industrial action, ending that cycle of brinkmanship. We have to ensure – all of us – that we are putting the criminal justice system on a more sustainable footing for the long term.’

Criminal barristers are voting on whether to end their action after the government put forward a revised offer on legal aid funding last week. A planned 15% fee increase for criminal barristers will now apply to the vast majority of cases currently in the Crown court. This will also apply to fee increases for solicitors.

Lewis talked up the importance on the world stage of the England and Wales legal sector and pledged in his new role to ensure that the law takes centre stage in any free trade agreements being negotiated.

‘English law is recognised across the globe and I will work to promote our exceptional legal services industry to the world,’ he said. ‘The critical impact of the whole system to our country cannot be overstated. It underpins all that we do, all that we achieve, all that we believe in. It impacts everyone, everywhere. I take the responsibility of safeguarding and assisting that very seriously.’

 

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