“I am pleased to be returning to the Shadow Justice Team as Minister for Courts and Legal Aid, and I am looking forward to building on the work that I have been involved with since my original appointment in January.
I was honored to have been involved in the Bach Commission on access to justice, and am looking forward to the launch of the interim report later this month. The Tories have led a vicious attack on legal aid, leaving many people without support or representation. As the country’s most senior judge, Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, said earlier this year “our system of justice has become unaffordable to most”.
We must not allow this nasty Tory Government to get away with these raids on working class people, and hold them to account on their failures with the justice system. In addition, we must be proactive, and I am eager to work with a range of partners to develop a set of policies that see justice as a vital public service, accessible in the same way as health or education.
I am very keen to return to my role on the Labour frontbench and provide an effective opposition to this defective Tory Government.”