Starmer under pressure to defend lawyers following renewed Tory attacks on profession

The news comes amidst growing concerns about the wellbeing of immigration solicitor Jacqueline McKenzie, who has become the object of a “targeted campaign” by the Conservative party.

Martin Forde KC, the barrister appointed by Mr Starmer to probe the culture within the Labour party, mentioned that lawyers from all political backgrounds were puzzled over the Labour leader’s silence, especially after some former Conservative legal representatives condemned their own party’s remarks last Friday.

Following the distribution of a dossier by the Conservative party headquarters, Ms McKenzie has been on the receiving end of vile abuse. She told The Guardian that people had threatened to drown her “like an asylum seeker” and leave dead bodies at her property.

Nick Vineall KC, the chair of the Bar Council, and Lubna Shuja, the president of the Law Society, made a joint statement condemning the Conservatives’ behaviour in sending out the dossier entitled “Revealed: senior Labour adviser is lefty lawyer blocking Rwanda deportations”.

Speaking about Ms McKenzie, Mr Forde told The Guardian: “I am concerned for her personal safety. She’s an excellent lawyer who is well regarded across the board. She has worked incredibly hard on Windrush, working all kinds of hours, especially in the early hours of the morning, working for nothing. To hear her say she’s scared to walk home from the railway station is appalling.”

He added: “My legal colleagues have expressed disappointment to me that Keir Starmer as a lawyer is yet to make a statement defending Jacqueline. They have expressed bewilderment that there hasn’t even been a strong statement from the party.”

“This is a fundamental assault on the rule of law and unprecedented in my experience. It suggests if a lawyer is involved in a case that challenges the government they are automatically deemed a lefty lawyer,” he said.

He concluded: “Alex Chalk’s failure to denounce this clearly shows the problem of judges and lawyers not having an independent lord chancellor rather than subsuming the role into the Ministry of Justice.”