Karim Khalil KC DL

[Julie Spence, Lord Lieutenant Cambridgeshire @Lord_Lt_Cambs]

Brilliant to present @HarrySpecters with their much deserved @TheKingsAwards for Promoting Opportunity through social mobility. There couldn’t be a company more worthy they employ amazing people from the #Autism community to make the most exceptional chocolates.
All customers eat excellence while creating social value😇@Autism

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

How can Shabana Mahmood clear the courts backlog without knowing the numbers?
@Independent Editorial: The Labour government has inherited a criminal justice system so dysfunctional that it lacks basic information about the scale of the crisis
You cannot solve a problem if you cannot measure it. Nick Emmerson, the president of the Law Society of England and Wales, goes to the nub of the crisis in the criminal justice system. “Without robust, rigorous and comprehensive data collection the government cannot hope to understand what is going on in our courts or be able to address the huge backlogs,” Mr Emmerson tells The Independent.
The Ministry of Justice has failed to publish any figures on the activity of the criminal courts this year because of inaccuracies in the statistics, leaving the new government unsighted on how to begin to tackle the backlog of trials that it has inherited from the Conservatives.
The Independent reports that on arriving in office Shabana Mahmood, the new justice secretary, ordered a “complete audit” of the quarterly information that had been due to be published in June, before the election, and which was cancelled. That means that the performance of the courts for the past nine months is a mystery, although the backlog of cases is likely to have soared to 70,000, up from 33,000 five years ago.
This is as serious as the alleged shortfall in in-year funding across government, about which Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has complained so volubly. Not only has Ms Mahmood inherited overflowing prisons and a criminal justice system at its lowest ebb in modern history, but her department does not even have the basic tools of information that it needs to start to repair this vital public service.
She was forced to take emergency action to cut prison numbers, which has been criticised by the Conservative leadership candidates in a show of brazen hypocrisy. It was their government that left prisons in a dangerous state.
Alex Chalk, the former justice secretary, pleaded with Rishi Sunak in the days before the election to order the early release scheme that Ms Mahmood was forced to announce in the days after it. If any of the candidates for the leadership of the opposition want to be taken seriously, they should be apologising for this negligence, rather than attacking Labour for trying to deal with it.
At least Ms Mahmood has reliable real-time numbers for the prison population, so that she could know how close we were to telling the police to stop arresting people. Without information on the number of court cases, however, it is impossible to be sure where the bottlenecks are in the system and where attempts to improve performance should be focused.
As a spokesperson for the CBA told The Independent, “victims of crime and defendants experience this lack of grip on the detail daily – they are the lost humans who are in the lost data”.
Anecdotal evidence is of a system blighted by staff shortages, witnesses failing to appear, hearings cancelled at short notice, such that any of the advantages of the Covid lockdowns, such as the greater use of video links, have been wiped out in the administrative chaos.
All the basic lessons of public service delivery seem to have been neglected by the Conservative government, which meant that as public spending restraint in what was seen as a non-priority department started to bite after several years, it became harder to manage the backlogs.
Sir Michael Barber, the guru of delivery in the New Labour years, is making a welcome return to government to advise Sir Keir Starmer in No 10. Sir Michael’s first rule is to ensure the provision of reliable real-time data so that problems can be identified and quantified.
Naturally, the MOJ will argue that it needs more money. This is almost certainly true but before it can have money, it must have reliable data. This is an early test of the new government’s seriousness if it is to claim a return to competence.

https://t.co/Rc3YQWsDNA

[Stephen Davies @sdavieslaw]

I sent a letter on 21/8/24 regarding Criminal Legal Aid to the Lord Chancellor @ShabanaMahmood & cc’d in @Heidi_Labour.

I have not received a response

@TheLawSociety is now advising my profession to quit or scale back: https://t.co/B7z2WEyC7S

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

@DrystoneCrime @thelegal500 And Allison is a fabulous Head of Chambers for members of Drystone - what a star!

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Allison Summers KC, Leading Silk, Legal 500, 2025 #SouthEasternCircuit #MidlandCircuit #Crime https://t.co/IhDdPX73sS
@thelegal500 #Legal500

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

Fabulous results for all three pupils! Welcome to Chambers with best wishes for successful careers with us

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Drystone Chambers takes great pleasure in announcing that our three pupils, Ross Ludlow, Sophie Clifford and Alex Shanks, have all accepted offers of tenancy following successful completion of their pupillages https://t.co/y93mK3StTN

[Azza Brown @Azza_Brown]

Welcome! I’m delighted for all of you, and know you will carve out a great career at the Bar.

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Drystone Chambers team, Charlie Myatt, leading Giles Fleming, successfully prosecute money-laundering gang in complex multi-handed case. https://t.co/HSs185wzzC #CriminalLaw #MoneyLaundering #OrganisedGangs

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

@ewankirk @Ryanair Perhaps they were preparing you for cycling route frustrations ahead?! Good luck when you do start 🚴🏼‍♀️

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

@TheCriminalBar @NAOorguk @CourtsIdle @BarristerSecret @JamesDRossiter @SocLabLaw @EmilyThornberry @Anna_Soubry @WomenInCrimLaw @15NBS @36CrimeTeam How many such Reports are sitting in MPs rooms as they continue to “fiddle whilst Rome burns” ?????

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Drystone Chambers pupil, Alex Shanks, makes successful submission of no case to answer following robust cross-examination of an experienced police officer. Instructed by Kim Chiswick of @EFBWcrime further details>>> https://t.co/wMMWLkzJUY #CriminalLaw

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

@TheCriminalBar @CrimeSolicitors @lccsa @MoJGovUK @BarristerSecret @TimesLaw @Anna_Soubry @moodybarrister @BaristaBarrist1 @thebarcouncil @JamesDRossiter Once again the criminal Bar has to tell the public the truth whilst the failing politicians continue to dissemble and blame everyone but themselves. This is the state of politics today - dishonest and unable to conduct serious debate.

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

Prisons full because for 18 months criminal barristers have done what is required prosecuting and defending,
getting trials done.
That’s why sentenced population is up 5,000 to over 71,000
But Remand up 2,000 to 16,500 from worsening trial and sentencing delays due to underfunding

To be clear remand prison population rose just 1000 to 14,500 during the action in summer 2022 by criminal defence barristers.
Remand had risen 50% before and 14% since.
We never stopped prosecuting.
The case backlog rose just 5% during the action. It had risen 80% before that and has risen 10% since

[Karim Khalil KC DL @KhalilQC]

Brilliant news for Grace and @DrystoneCrime - welcome to the team and the best of wishes for a fabulous career!

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Drystone Chambers is delighted to announce that Grace McConnell has accepted tenancy following the successful completion of her third-six. Sincere congrats to Grace and another super addition to our junior ranks! #CriminalLaw

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Our 3 amazing #pupils are now on their feet having started their practising period of #pupillage on 2nd April. They have each been a shining star during their 1st Six! Now the fun really begins! Good luck & best wishes to Ross Ludlow, Sophie Clifford, Alex Shanks. #TeamDrystone

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

We provide mini-pupillages for #Aspiring #CriminalBarristers in #London, the #Southeast, #Midlands and #EastAnglia regions. Our applications deadline is 31 March so don't delay! Apply here>>>
https://t.co/BDGzFWBr0U

[Drystone Chambers @DrystoneCrime]

Richard Davies obtains a not guilty verdict for a defendant in respect of her alleged involvement in a drug supply transaction for 8kg of cocaine after a week-long trial at Croydon Crown Court https://t.co/pY0YChzILB #CriminalLaw

[Julie Spence, Lord Lieutenant Cambridgeshire @Lord_Lt_Cambs]

A busy period presenting 4 of our fabulous companies with their @TheKingsAwards - excellence, innovation, hard work & a brilliant team coarse through the veins of each one. Truly the #BestofBritish. @T@Thermoteknix @RisilienceTeam @bangodotcom @Domainex_UK Well done all- we are so proud of you.😇

[The CBA @TheCriminalBar]

“It should not take a high court ruling, 2 years after the Government-commissioned independent review of legal aid, to restate that for both solicitors and barristers an annual level of “at least 15%” above the previous levels was needed as emergency treatment for the criminal justice system.” Chair Tana Adkin
“The Criminal Bar was forced to take action in 2022 when the Government refused to implement its own review's recommendation. The 15% as “the minimum necessary as the first step in nursing the system of criminal legal aid back to health after years of neglect” now needs to be supplemented. The Criminal Justice System, like any vital part of our society, needs on-going and consistent investment if it is to be effective and trusted by the public."

https://t.co/SSIriTXTDD

[Stephen Davies @sdavieslaw]

R (on the application of @TheLawSociety v The Lord Chancellor [2024] EWHC 155 (Admin) - interested parties: @CrimeSolicitors & @lccsa

Success for The Law Society who have successfully judicially reviewed the Lord Chancellor’s decision following the Criminal Legal Aid Review