Analysis of the chancellor’s Spring Statement yesterday suggests there is no end in sight to austerity in the justice system.

Unprotected departments including the Ministry of Justice face a continuing squeeze on spending well into the 2020s, according to updated figures published by thinktank the New Economics Foundation (NEF).

By 2023/24, the foundation has calculated, real terms per person funding for the MoJ will have fallen by 51% since 2010/11.  Only Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), down 56% on 2010/11 in real terms over the same period, will be worse hit.

The model used in the foundation’s analysis was built by NEF to look at UK departmental spending, consistent with UK Treasury accounting and Office for Budget Responsibility forecasting data. The model was updated with the latest figures following the chancellor’s speech.

NEF’s model adopts the OBR projection for total resource Departmental Expenditure Limit, the money allocated for running services and paying staff.