Robert Jenrick tells House of Commons the Government is "monitoring the activities" of some human rights lawyers
Concerns were expressed on social media after immigration minister Robert Jenrick said during a Parliamentary debate yesterday that some human rights lawyers acting for asylum seekers had abused and exploited the law, and a small number of practitioners were being 'monitored' as a result.
Image credit: UK GovernmentYesterday's debate in the House of Commons was held to discuss the widely reported violent disorder by protestors outside an asylum accommodation centre in Knowsley, Merseyside on 10 February.
The immigration minister condemned the violence as totally unacceptable. He said: "As the Home Secretary and I have repeatedly made clear, there is never any excuse for violence." Jenrick added that the Government 'shared the frustrations' of the British public over the increasing number of migrants crossing the Channel by small boat.
Speaking about the Government's forthcoming immigration legislation to tackle the boat crossings, Robert Jenrick told the Commons: "On the legislation that I have mentioned, the Home Secretary, the Prime Minister and I are working closely as we finalise those plans. It is absolutely right that we take time to ensure that this legislation is as effective as possible. As my hon. Friend knows, this is one of the most litigious areas of public life. It is an area where, I am afraid, human rights lawyers abuse and exploit our laws at times, and where the courts have taken an expansive approach in the past. That is why we must get this right, but we will be bringing forward that legislation very soon."
Some time later in the debate, the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael, queried the immigration minister's comments about lawyers.
"The Minister told us a few minutes ago that part of the problem here is human rights lawyers who abuse and exploit our laws. That is obviously very serious, Mr Speaker. Any lawyer doing that needs to be stopped, so could the Minister tell the House how many solicitors, advocates and barristers have been reported by the Home Office in the last 12 months to the regulatory authorities?" Carmichael asked.
Jenrick responded: "We are monitoring the activities, as it so happens, of a small number of legal practitioners, but it is not appropriate for me to discuss that here."
The immigration minister gave no further details and there were no follow-up questions.
A number of commentators on social media expressed concerns at Jenrick's comments.
One political commentator said on Twitter that he had sent a Freedom of Information request to the Home Office to clarify what Jenrick had meant by "monitoring" of lawyers, including under what legal authority it is taking place and what professional standards it relates to.
The commentator added that the immigration minister had made a serious allegation about lawyers breaching standards. A solicitor on Twitter called the minister's comments "extremely sinister" and added that a free and independent legal profession is essential to democracy. A barrister asked the Bar Council and the Law Society to look into the matter.
Last year, the Bar Council and the Law Society called on the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson to stop attacking lawyers for upholding the rule of law by acting for asylum seekers challenging the Rwanda policy.
The Bar Council and the Law Society said in a June statement: "Legal challenges ensure government is acting lawfully, following laws agreed by parliament. It is misleading and dangerous for the Prime Minister to suggest lawyers who bring such legal challenges are doing anything other than their job and upholding the law. Anyone at risk of a life-changing order has a right to challenge its legality with the assistance of a lawyer, who has a duty to advise their client on their rights."