Assumption: "Legal aid was removed from family cases for good reasons — the government knew what it was doing."

Court Reality

In 2012 the government's own impact statement acknowledged the cuts would disproportionately affect women, ethnic minorities, and people with disabilities — and proceeded anyway. The stated reason was that family cases were unlikely to be legally complex. At least 65% of cases now coming to court involve domestic abuse. The minister had never practised family law. This wasn't an oversight. It was a political decision made without understanding what family court actually looks like.

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