The Bar loves a good conspiracy theory and the announcement by the Lord Chancellor’s Department (LCD) that it was to make up a record 113 silks this year – up from 77 in 2001 – has provided plenty of grist for the rumour mill.
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) added further fuel to the fire when it expressed tacit approval for the boost in the 12-month progress statement of its 2001 report on competition in the professions. The original report had roundly attacked the QC system as irrelevant, anti-competitive and opaque, and had effectively called for its abolition.
