Karl Turner is to become Labour’s new Shadow Minister for Legal Aid, ending his time as Shadow Minister for Shipping, Aviation, & Road Safety. Karl is a long-standing campaigner for legal aid and access to justice, and said the following on his appointment:

“I am absolutely delighted to accept Keir Starmer’s offer to become the Shadow Minister for Legal Aid.

Legal aid has suffered savage, decimating cuts at the hand of successive Tory-led Governments over the past decade. Whilst our immediate focus will of course be doing all that we can to overcome COVID-19, I relish the opportunity to fight for the restoration of proper access to justice, through legal aid, to its rightful place at the heart of our justice system.

Legal aid was introduced by the great reforming Labour Government of 1945-1951, on the vital principle that if all are equal before the law, all must have equal access to it.

Regrettably, we have strayed far from that goal. As part of Labour’s new Shadow Justice team, I will do all that I can to ensure that legal aid becomes again a basic right of everybody in our country.”