FFT warns Legal Aid Minister about effect of cuts on torture survivors at Conservative Conference

The Medical Foundation has become increasingly concerned about torture survivors’ access to quality legal representation following the forced closure of Refugee and Migrant Justice in the summer. There is a grave risk that South Manchester Law Centre, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit and other legal services may suffer the same fate.

Against the backdrop of cuts in public spending across the board, the forthcoming review of legal aid is likely to bring further bad news.

The MF attended a fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference yesterday with the Minister for Legal Aid, Jonathan Djanogly, and was really surprised that the implications of legal aid cuts in the immigration sector were not addressed by the minister or by the other speakers in their opening remarks.

However, the minister did say that the starting point for the review will be the need to achieve 'a system in which vulnerable people have legal representation'. We took this opportunity to press for safeguards for torture survivors, and other vulnerable groups within the asylum system, as part of any reforms. The minister declined to give any commitments, saying we would need to wait for the review, but he did add that the demise of Refuge and Migrant Justice had been 'a very sad episode' and that these issues were definitely being considered. He hinted strongly that the review will be launched any day now, so we will have a chance soon to see if he is true to his word.