A high-level Bar Council working party, headed by former Court of Appeal judge Sir Iain Glidewell, has come out in favour of preserving the silk system despite growing calls for its abolition.

His report, which is due to be put before the Bar Council’s ruling council for approval on 16 November, will delight the Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, who has stubbornly defended the system despite launching a formal consultation exercise on whether it should be reformed.