Stars including Stewart Lee, Stephen K Amos and Sara Pascoe put on gig in protest against the cuts
A host of leading comedians turned out last night at an event dubbed Not the Global Law Summit organised in protest at the government’s Global Law Summit taking place down the road in Westminster.
Performing in the front of a model of justice secretary Chris Grayling set in Magna Carta-branded stocks, the comedians — who included Stephen K Amos, Angela Barnes, Alistair Barrie, Kevin Eldon, Stewart Lee (pictured above), Sara Pascoe, Nick Revell and Joe Wells — took turns at having a pop at the justice secretary and his government’s regime of cuts.
Some of those on stage at the event at Islington’s Union Chapel had a legal connection, with Amos having studied law at Westminster University and the father of up-and-coming satirist Wells working as a probation officer.
But most were just appalled at the government’s behaviour to target the legal aid sector while turning a blind eye to tax avoidance by corporations and the super rich — and gave their time last night for free to a full-house.
Packed house at #notthegloballawsummit #standupforlegalaid pic.twitter.com/0VFkT7E7nd
— Legal Cheek (@legalcheek) February 23, 2015
Also speaking was Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights group Liberty, who had made a point of returning her invite to the actual Global Law Summit. She expressed her distaste with the event taking place at a time of cuts to legal aid, while highlighting the news yesterday of the “cash for access” scandal as a reason why those in power should be subject to constant challenge (see the videoclip below).
There is more information about the campaign to protect legal aid at Justice Alliance.
Previously
The bar ‘will die out’ and solicitors be replaced by paralegals, predicts top criminal barrister at Global Law Summit [Legal Cheek]