Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn condemned the court closures and the withdrawal of legal aid for employment tribunals, welfare benefit cases and other areas of law. He used the term, basic human right, to defend the public access to justice. As such, he expressed his full support with the principle of legal aid.
As stated by Corbyn in Guardian, he said that the withdrawal and closure to legal aid is an economic benefit and a basic human right. He also expressed his dismay stating, "It's a denial of justice." The Labor leader who used to sit on the justice select committee, even added that there were 470,000 social welfare cases in 2010 which went down to 53,000 cases several years later. In this regard, it only shows that the state has saved £6 in every £1 spent on legal aid on the economic case for state-funded access to justice, according to the related report.
RT also reported that the Labor Leader opposed the American justice system saying, "Whatever crime has been committed. You should reach out to support them and [provide] rehabilitation not just punishment." He also stated that hardworking, underpaid lawyers doing their best to put something into society should be more appreciated and valued, instead of belittling them, according to Legal Cheek. The report also stated that the director of Liberty Shami Chakrabarti expressed his disappointment to which he said that cuts to legal aid are deeply ideological and spiteful.
Despite of the frustration, the Labor chief pledged to restore legal aid funding to past levels once elected and urges law students in pursuing legal aid ahead of corporate law. On the other hand, previous report mentioned that former justice minister Lord Bach and his team will conduct a review next month on how to reinstate legal aid funding.
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