Striking barristers to meet new justice secretary for the first time since action began

Barristers are due to meet with the justice secretary for the first time since they went on strike.

On Tuesday the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) will sit down with Brandon Lewis, who was appointed to the role just two weeks ago.

His predecessor, Dominic Raab, refused to meet with the organisation while he was in post.

The meeting was due to take place last week but was delayed after the Queen’s death. While demonstrations were postponed, the all-out strike has continued during the national mourning period.

Barristers in England and Wales are taking part in a continuous walk-out after their row with the Government over pay intensified.

CBA chairman Kirsty Brimelow told MPs earlier this month the group was “absolutely willing to negotiate” and had been all year, but “there’s been no alternative (to taking action) because we’ve had absolutely no negotiation”.

Mr Raab was succeeded by Mr Lewis after becoming a high-profile casualty of incoming Prime Minister Liz Truss’s Cabinet reshuffle.

The action was “disrupting trials” and victims of crime are “suffering the most”, Ms Brimelow said as she warned defendants would “increasingly” be let out on bail as their custody time limits expire.

Criminal barristers are due to receive a 15% fee rise from the end of September, meaning they will earn £7,000 more per year.

But there has been anger the proposed pay rise will not be made effective immediately and will only apply to new cases, not those already sitting in the backlog waiting to be dealt with by courts.