Barristers stage second walkout over legal aid cuts

Celebrities including actress Maxine Peake and former Blur drummer David Rowntree have joined thousands of protesters opposed to legal aid cuts in England and Wales.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has called the cuts "crippling".

The government is pressing ahead with fee cuts for barristers and solicitors in an effort to save £220m from the £2bn annual cost of legal aid.

It said reform of the "expensive" system was vital in austere times.

The protest is the second time lawyers have staged a walkout, the first in January caused widespread disruption.