I recently spoke at a public meeting organised by the Leicester Civil Rights Movement and Action Advice Leicester about the Government’s cuts to legal aid.

I believe legal aid is a fundamental component of our legal system. Ensuring people aren’t excluded from the courts because of a lack of finance is crucial to ensuring the principle of equality before the law is upheld.

The Tory-led Government is cutting £350 million from legal aid. These cuts will mean remove all help for debt advice, welfare benefits, education, employment issues and clinical negligence. The Government’s own impact assessment of the cuts says that women, people from black and ethnic minority communities, and those on low incomes will be hit the hardest.

These cuts are also likely to end up costing more in the long run. Without early stage legal advice, many of the problems people face will escalate, resulting in a greater cost to the taxpayer further down the line. The Law Society has come up with an alternative package of cuts to legal aid that would save money but still protect the poorest. I am urging the Government to stop, think again and work with the Law Society and other organisations to change its plans.