Ken Clarke says Lords wrong to block legal aid changes

The Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has said the House of Lords is wrong to try and block his plans to reduce spending on legal aid, as the current system is "by far the most generous in the world" and needs to be cut back.

Speaking to the presenter of Radio 4's Law in Action Joshua Rozenberg, Mr Clarke said that peers had no say in raising taxes and yet they were seeking to block his plans to reduce spending on legal aid.

He warned members of the House of Lords that such opposition to government bills will make the case for reforming the unelected house even stronger.

Mr Clarke was speaking after reports that rebel peers opposed to an elected House of Lords were threatening to sabotage the government's future legislative agenda.

You can hear the full interview on Law in Action on BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday, 21 February at 16:00 GMT. You can listen again via the Radio 4 website or by downloading the Law in Action podcast.

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