Call to reveal abandoned legal aid changes costs rejected

Updated

A Justice Minister has rejected calls to reveal how much public money was wasted on abandoned changes to legal aid, claiming it would be a "waste of time and effort".

Shailesh Vara insisted the Government wants to "move ahead" after Justice Secretary Michael Gove scrapped his predecessor Chris Grayling's proposals to overhaul the way legal aid contracts are awarded to duty solicitors.

He spoke after Labour called on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to refer itself to the National Audit Office over the latest in a series of U-turns and demanded an apology to those adversely affected.

Advertisement