Barristers’ strike: who is ultimately to blame for court ‘chaos’?

Justice secretary has accused barristers of ‘holding justice to ransom’ with ‘indefinite’ walkout

Barristers on strike outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London
Barristers on strike outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London
(Image credit: Carlos Jasso/AFP via Getty Images)

A continuous all-out strike by criminal barristers is set to bring the justice system grinding to a halt in England and Wales from this week.

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Arion McNicoll is a freelance writer at The Week Digital and was previously the UK website’s editor. He has also held senior editorial roles at CNN, The Times and The Sunday Times. Along with his writing work, he co-hosts “Today in History with The Retrospectors”, Rethink Audio’s flagship daily podcast, and is a regular panellist (and occasional stand-in host) on “The Week Unwrapped”. He is also a judge for The Publisher Podcast Awards.