Strikes will cause untold anguish… Ramping up industrial action now is needless and indefensible, writes DOMINIC RAAB

When aspiring lawyer Sven Badzak was brutally murdered, his family were left reeling and distraught. Over a year later, their agony continues.

They have been denied closure due to weeks of needless strikes driven by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), which claims to represent the interests of criminal barristers.

Countless more victims and their families are suffering as cases grind to a halt. These strikes risk undoing real progress for victims.

From bringing in tougher prison sentences for violent and sexual offenders to a massive £460million investment in victims’ services over the next three years, we’ve been working hard to make sure they get the justice they deserve.

Writing for the Daily Mail, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said: ‘Countless more victims and their families are suffering as cases grind to a halt. These strikes risk undoing real progress for victims’

We’re driving up rape prosecutions by overhauling how the system responds to sexual violence, including rolling out pre-recorded cross examinations to spare rape victims the stress of giving evidence at a live trial.

Later this year we’ll introduce a 24/7 rape helpline, so victims get support whenever and wherever they need it.

And our landmark Victims’ Bill and wider parole reforms will put them at the heart of the justice system.

But the CBA is badly letting victims down.

Leaders of the CBA are now holding justice to ransom – threatening the progress we’ve achieved, causing untold anguish for victims, and preventing the innocent from clearing their names.

I’m sure Daily Mail readers share my frustration. The crown court backlog driven up by the pandemic, but which had fallen as a direct result of action we’ve taken, is now starting to creep back up – as a result of the CBA’s decisions. Ramping up strike action now is needless and indefensible, especially after we confirmed a pay boost that will put an extra £7,000 in the average criminal barrister’s pockets.

This pay increase – which will come in at the end of September – is part of an extra £135million we are investing, bringing taxpayer funding of criminal legal aid to over £1.2billion.

Leaders of the CBA are holding justice to ransom, writes Dominic Raab

The demands for more money that the CBA is making would just divert cash from other parts of the justice system, like support for victims.

As Justice Secretary, I hear time and again that all victims truly want is the justice they deserve. My message to the CBA is simple.

We are increasing your pay. Now your actions are only harming victims, increasing the court backlog, and hampering our efforts to make our streets safer.

The criminal justice system deserves better.

Victims deserve better.

So, to those striking, I say – do right by them and please return to work.

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