More than 100 judges, peers, prominent lawyers and doctors working in the civil and criminal justice system have called on the incoming government to restore legal aid to prevent “widespread miscarriages of justice”.
In an open letter to the Guardian, the signatories – who include former appeal court judges, a chief inspector of prisons and a reviewer of terrorism legislation – condemn cuts made by the coalition government for depriving “hundreds of thousands of people” access to justice. The letter warns that without recourse to the courts, “inequalities take on a more dangerous edge which threaten the legitimacy of not just the justice system but our democracy”.
