London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Criminal barristers vote to end strike over pay

Criminal barristers vote to end strike over pay

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted to end their long-running strike action after the government offered a new pay deal.

A total of 57% of barristers voted in a ballot to accept a 15% pay rise, the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) said.

The decision means that crown courts will begin hearing cases as normal from Tuesday.

Hundreds of trials have been delayed during the action. It is not clear how quickly the backlog can be reduced.

The barristers had been offered a package of measures by new Justice Secretary Brandon Lewis which went much further than what had been put on the table by his predecessor, Dominic Raab.

The deal included an immediate 15% rise in fees for government-funded defence work - an independent recommendation first made to ministers almost a year ago. There was also a promise that this would apply to 60,000 cases in the unprecedented national backlog.

Mr Lewis has offered additional payments for a range of court preparation work that barristers said they were not being properly paid for.

Barristers, who originally requested a 25% pay rise, said criminal justice was falling apart due to a chronic lack of funding, arguing that ministers had to invest far more cash in order to cut the record delays to trials.


Funding squeeze


The strikes began in June after years of complaints from criminal barristers that the system of legal aid - which makes up the bulk of their pay - had been "pared to the bone", resulting in cuts to their income of 35% in the last decade.


The industrial action was ramped up in September when the CBA started an indefinite, uninterrupted strike.

Kirsty Brimelow KC, chair of the CBA, said barristers were hoping for a new relationship with the government and that ministers' treatment of the profession would "not be shabby moving forwards".

She said that the criminal justice system remained "chronically underfunded", adding that it should not have got to the stage of industrial action in order to "force" more funding from government into criminal legal aid.

"This offer from government is an overdue start. Its acceptance by barristers is on the basis that it is implemented - otherwise the CBA will ballot again to lift the suspension of action," Ms Brimelow warned.

Statistics due this week are expected to show no progress on reducing the backlogs, which mean some trials are taking more than two years to be heard.


Mr Lewis said: "Since starting this job five weeks ago, my priority has been to end this strike action and reduce delays for victims, and I'm glad that barristers have agreed to return to work. 

"This breakthrough is a result of coming together and restarting what I hope to be a constructive relationship as we work to drive down the backlog and ensure victims see justice done sooner." 

But there are warning signs that the pay offer may prompt walkouts by solicitors after the body which represents them, the Law Society of England and Wales, said the dispute on criminal legal aid funding was "far from over".

Outgoing Law Society president Stephanie Boyce called for fair funding across the criminal justice system, including giving solicitors parity in pay.

"The justice minister may think he has got one problem off his table but there are bigger problems coming his way as this dispute continues," Ms Boyce warned.

"This is another example of a government U-turn marking a bad situation worse."

Meanwhile, Diana Fawcett, chief executive at the charity Victim Support, said it was positive news for victims but that more had to be done to reduce waiting times.

"It's important to remember that when it comes to the huge backlogs in our courts, these strikes, and the delay caused by the pandemic are only part of the picture," she said.

"Long court delays have been an issue for nearly a decade, and are agonising for victims."

The father of a sexual assault victim who has waited four years for his case to come to trial welcomed the ballot result.

James - not his real name - hopes the case, which has been put back until the end of November, will now go ahead. But he fears the courts backlog is now so severe the trial could be delayed again.

He said the long wait has had a catastrophic effect on his son's mental health.

James said: "My son's at the point where he said to me: 'I have no faith in any of this. They give us a date and crush it, every step along the way.'"

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×