Major legal body demands public apology from Boris Johnson over ‘lefty human rights lawyers’ comments

Bar Council says there should never be a situation when a PM needs to be 'called upon to stop deliberately inflammatory language towards a profession simply doing its job in the public interest’

(AFP via Getty Images)

Boris Johnson is facing calls from the legal profession to issue a public apology and immediately retract his attack on “lefty human rights lawyers” made during the Conservative Party conference.

As pressure intensified on the prime minister over the provocative remarks, claims also emerged over the weekend a knife attack on an immigration solicitor in September had been motivated by previous comments from Priti Patel.

Before the incident, the home secretary hit out at “activist lawyers” she said were frustrating Home Office attempts to deport individuals with no legal right to be in the UK – comments she doubled down on during her speech to the Tory faithful.

“No doubt those who are well-rehearsed in how to play and profit from the broken system will lecture us on their grand theories about human rights,” she said last week.

“Those defending the broken system – the traffickers, the do-gooders, the lefty lawyers, the Labour Party – they are defending the indefensible.”

In his own address to the virtual conference, the prime minister echoed Ms Patel’s comments and said the government is working to stop “the whole criminal justice system from being hamstrung by what the home secretary would doubtless – and rightly – call the lefty human rights lawyers, and other do-gooders.”

Mr Johnson’s remarks sparked a furious backlash, with the chair of the Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, requesting he withdraw the comments in a letter to Downing Street.

On Monday, Amanda Pinto QC, chair of the organisation, demanded a public apology from both Mr Johnson and Ms Patel.

She said: “There should never be a situation when a British prime minister, home secretary and other government ministers need to be called upon to stop deliberately inflammatory language towards a profession simply doing its job in the public interest.”

“Shockingly, we've arrived at that point. As this same government has proclaimed, lawyers are essential workers and play a critical role in making sure the nation's justice system continues to operate.

“Even if it was never the intention of this government to incite violence against members of the legal profession, the fact the personal safety of lawyers is now at risk demands an immediate retraction of the ill-judged comments made in recent weeks by the prime minister and the home secretary, as well as a public apology.”

Responding to Mr Johnson's remarks last week, Simon Davis, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, added the "repeated government attacks on the integrity of the legal profession" were "deeply concerning".

"This divisive language serves nobody and puts lawyers and their clients at risk."

On demands for the prime minister to apologise, however, his official spokesman said at a briefing on Monday: “You heard the home secretary and prime minister speak about the impact of last-minute and very often baseless challenges which are undermining the legitimate return of people who have no right to remain in the country. 

"In terms of the legal profession, lawyers play an important role in upholding the law and ensuring people have access to justice, and we are absolutely clear that any form of violence against them is utterly unacceptable. We look forward to working with the legal sector on reform of our asylum system.”