Priti Patel shrugs off the lawyers’ attack, calling her reaction to their criticism ‘ridiculous’

Priti Patel redoubled herself against ‘activist lawyers’ last night after they accused her of endangering both their safety and the rule of law.

More than 800 former judges and legal figures signed a letter asking the Home Secretary and Boris Johnson to apologize for their ‘hostility’ towards the profession.

The two politicians have criticized lawyers who seek to thwart the government’s policy, describing them as “activists” and “leftists.”

Published in The Guardian, the letter said: ‘Such attacks endanger not only the personal safety of lawyers and others working for the judicial system, as has been clearly seen recently; they undermine the rule of law, which both ministers and lawyers are obliged to respect. ‘

Interior Minister Priti Patel was accused by ‘activist lawyers’ of endangering both her security and the rule of law.

But Miss Patel’s spokesperson dismissed the criticism and urged the attorneys who signed it to “get back to work” as soon as possible.

He added: ‘Are left-wing lawyers blameless and free from criticism? It’s really ridiculous. ‘

Among the signatories are former Supreme Court and Superior Court judges and more than 80 quality controls.

In August, the Interior Ministry had to remove a video that accused “activist lawyers” of undermining asylum laws.

At the Conservative Party online conference earlier this month, Prime Minister Boris Johnson increased the rhetoric by noting that his party was “ preventing the entire criminal justice system from being paralyzed so the Home Secretary no doubt , and rightly so, I would call the leftist human rights lawyers, and other benefactors. ‘

Lord Dyson, former Master of the Rolls and chief of civil justice, who signed the letter, said: ‘The rule of law depends on an independent judiciary, as well as an independent legal profession, fearlessly representing those who do not they may represent themselves, however unpopular their case may be.

“That is why unjustified and arson attacks, such as those recently carried out by the Interior Minister and backed by the Prime Minister against lawyers representing immigrants and asylum seekers, pose a real threat to the rule of law and are so dangerous. “.

Former Director of Public Prosecutions Lord Macdonald, who also endorsed the letter, said: ‘The Home Secretary and the Prime Minister must recognize that words have consequences.

“Imitating the language of populists who incite lawyers is degrading and dangerous, and a crude attack on the rule of law.”

A government spokesperson said: “Lawyers play an important role in upholding the law and ensuring that people have access to justice.

“However, they are not immune from criticism.”