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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Kevin Rawlinson

Ministers accused of ‘lawyer-bashing’ to distract from asylum policy failures

The justice secretary, Alex Chalk.
The justice secretary, Alex Chalk, said he would be comfortable with severe punishment for immigration lawyers who engage in malpractice. Photograph: Aaron Chown/PA

Ministers have been accused of “lawyer-bashing” and seeking to distract from their own failures to clear the backlog of asylum claims by pushing a crackdown on lawyers who act improperly.

The justice secretary has said he would be comfortable with severe punishment for immigration lawyers who engage in malpractice after the government said they could face life in jail under the terms of the Illegal Migration Act.

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