Barristers snub £91 hourly rate

A boycott by barristers over their hourly pay rates is threatening to delay the start of several major court cases, including the Rhys Jones murder trial in Liverpool. The trials are under threat because barristers are refusing to work for a minimum of £70 an hour for a junior barrister and £91 for a QC - a new fee regime recently put in place by the Ministry of Justice.

Peter Lodder, QC, the new chairman of the 4,000-strong Criminal Bar Association called such rates "derisory" for the most serious trials, which are often lengthy.

He told the Times that judges could have to release defendants if the dispute is not settled soon, as trials involving defendants held in custody can only be delayed up to 112 days between their committal and trial.