The Leader podcast: Why are lawyers striking?

As barristers in England and Wales have voted for an ‘indefinite strike’ there are concerns the action could cripple the criminal justice system.

The strike comes amid the ongoing row with the government over funding for the industry, which the Criminal Bar Association has described as ‘collapsed’ and ‘disintegrating’.

The CBA has accused the government of not properly funding the criminal justice system, which currently faces a backlog of close to 60,000 cases.

The CBA has warned without improved funding for legal aid barristers, many more will leave to work in other areas of law.

The Evening Standard’s Courts Correspondent Tristan Kirk explains why lawyers are striking, how the backlog has reached almost 60,000 cases, and why legal aid will suffer even more without fresh government funding.

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