Hundreds of UK solicitors will take strike action before Christmas to protest against Government plans to reform the UK’s ailing legal aid system, it emerged today (4 December).

The move follows an emergency meeting held in Birmingham last week when around 400 lawyers working in the publicly-funded sector opted to withdraw their services from police stations and magistrates courts in a bid to force Whitehall to perform a U-turn on the controversial proposals, which were published last week.