Commenting on the political attacks on lawyers by the Home Secretary and Prime Minister following the publication of the Illegal Migration Bill, Chair of the Bar Nick Vineall KC said:

“The Home Secretary’s recent comments referring to ‘an activist blob of left-wing lawyers’, and the Prime Minister’s comment that the Leader of the Opposition is ‘just another lefty lawyer’ betray a startling and regrettable ignorance about the role of lawyers in society.

“Lawyers represent their clients within the legal framework that Parliament creates. Lawyers should not be associated with the causes of their clients as a result of representing their clients. Right-thinking people from across the political spectrum understand this. It is essential to the rule of law that members of the Cabinet do too.”