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Top Stories: Government Considers Housing Asylum Seekers on Boats, New Bill Could Block Prison Releases

29 Mar 2023 Home affairs

Government is set to confirm a range of new plans aimed at reducing the use of asylum seeker hotels, which could include use of accommodation on ships and in unused military bases.

30 Sep 2022 Home affairs

The draft Victims Bill fails to deliver for victims

The government’s draft Victims Bill is intended to amplify victims’ voices and put their needs and rights at the heart of the criminal justice system.

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30 Jun 2022 Home affairs

Criminal legal aid fee increases a welcome first step, but next stages critical to rebuilding justice system, says Bar Council

The Government has announced the next steps in the criminal legal aid review including a Statutory Instrument to be laid in Parliament by 21 July to bring in a fee increase of 15% for the Advocates' Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS – ie the fees paid to barristers) from 30 September 2022.

Court closures have weakened access to justice in England and Wales – a solution must be found fast

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24 Jun 2022 Home affairs

Court closures have weakened access to justice in England and Wales – a solution must be found fast

To mark Justice Week 2022, the Bar Council of England and Wales has highlighted the number of court closures and is calling for greater investment to help solve the problem.

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20 Jun 2022 Home affairs

New data reveals the decline in access to justice in England and Wales

The Bar Council is calling for urgent political commitment to funding capacity in the justice system, as it launches a new, live, interactive map of key national and regional data on access to justice across England and Wales.

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14 Jun 2022 Home affairs

Bar Council & Law Society react to PM's comments

Following the Prime Minister’s comments earlier today, the Bar Council and Law Society of England and Wales have issued the following joint statement:

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10 May 2022 Home affairs

The Bar Council's reaction to the Queen's speech

Responding to the wide range of legislation announced in today’s Queen’s Speech, Mark Fenhalls QC, chair of the Bar Council, said:

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08 Apr 2022 Home affairs

New data shows crisis at criminal Bar

New data published today reveals the number of barristers practising full-time in criminal law has declined by more than 10% in 2020-21.

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24 Mar 2022 Foreign affairs

Bar Council pledges support for Ukrainian lawyers

Today the Bar Council has launched a new project to foster dialogue, solidarity and support between barristers in England and Wales and Ukrainian lawyers.

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15 Mar 2022 Home affairs

Bar Council's response to Legal Aid announcement

The Bar Council’s response to the Government’s Legal Aid announcement:

21 Jan 2022 Education

Prisoners should be offered apprenticeships while incarcerated to help them gain skills for jobs upon release

It is little wonder that reoffending rates are so high in this country – at around 42 per cent – when the odds of finding a job are stacked against prison leavers.

02 Dec 2021 Home affairs

It’s shameful that victims feel demeaned and degraded instead of seeing justice delivered

“You’re safer staying in that abusive relationship than you are trying to get out. The aftermath is 100 per cent worse.” Harrowing words that you’d never think a survivor of attempted murder, rape and domestic abuse would utter. But that’s the harsh reality Rachel (pseudonym) and many other survivors face because of the ugly truth behind our broken criminal justice system.

20 Oct 2021 Home affairs

The government is failing in its fundamental duty to protect women and girls and uphold the law

“Traumatised, forgotten, abandoned.” These are words spoken by victims of domestic abuse, rape and serious sexual assault who are being let down by the criminal justice system - suffering in isolation, scared and often completely unaware of their rights as victims.

05 Oct 2021 Home affairs

Dominic Raab Tells Businesses To Hire Ex-Offenders To Tackle Staff Shortages

Businesses should “come and talk” to the justice department about hiring former prisoners to fill the current shortage of workers, Dominic Raab has said.

04 Oct 2021 Home affairs

Sarah Everard's murder must be a watershed moment to tackle serious systemic failings at the heart of the police

At the time of my election in 2019, I viewed being a former police officer as a way of demonstrating that I was someone to be trusted. That trust has been seriously eroded and damaged by Sarah Everard's terrible murder.

22 Jun 2021 Home affairs

The government has failed women – we need deeds not just words to turn the tide on systematic rape failures

The Rape Review didn’t come close to meeting the scale of the challenge in the criminal justice system. We need a tangible, urgent plan to address what has effectively become the decriminalisation of rape in this country.

26 May 2021 Home affairs

Covid has highlighted how our prisons are stuck in the past

Coming to terms with our overuse of imprisonment and charting a way to a lower-imprisonment future, could form part of a fitting legacy of the Covid-19 crisis.

25 May 2021 Economy

Hiring ex-offenders is good for society – and good for business too

In 2002, I was invited to visit a prison in the north-west. Given that it was my first time visiting a prison, it’s fair to say I didn’t really know what to expect.

25 May 2021 Home affairs

Covid hit our over-stretched courts hard: the current system can not become the new normal

Whilst there are opportunities for new ways of working, there are also difficulties for some cases and some litigants which could affect the delivery of justice.

24 May 2021 Home affairs

Ensuring access to justice for all is essential for a functioning democracy

If the government is serious about levelling up, it must invest in key local services, of which the courts are an integral component.

17 May 2021 Coronavirus

Ellie Reeves: ‘Victims are being let down and that’s happening on the government’s watch’

The shadow Solicitor General on how the justice system is failing rape survivors, why her passion for politics started at school, and life in a family of MPs

Justice will finally be done for abused animals

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17 May 2021 Home affairs

Justice will finally be done for abused animals

The passing of the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill represents significant progress in the battle against animal cruelty. The law must now be followed up with effective deterrence to ensure justice for all abused animals.

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22 Apr 2021 Home affairs

Response to MoJ sitting days limit

The Ministry of Justice is to remove the limit on the number of sitting days in the Crown Courts in order to tackle the backlog.

29 Mar 2021 Home affairs

We cannot allow victims of crime to become victims of our justice system

It takes strength to stand up to the preparators of crime and I worry that victims will be reluctant to do so for fear of the time it will take to receive justice.