I. Stephanie Boyce FKC, FRSA: “Yesterday, I attended Breaking Barriers to Trade, hosted by #BaronessSandyVerma at the House of Lords.”

Not good enough to stand still.

Yesterday, I attended Breaking Barriers to Trade, hosted by Baroness Sandy Verma
at the House of Lords. The discussion was rich with thought and inspiring to be in a room

with so many amazing people advocating for a fairer, more equal space.

I then made my way to Canary Wharf to deliver the keynote address celebrating South West

London Law Centres five decades of public service and to help raise funds for it to continue its work.

For five decades, South West London Law Centres have helped thousands secure justice and stability,

addressing gaps where a lack of government funding has appeared. And now South West London Law

Centres finds itself in dire need of financial support if it is to see another five years, let alone five decades.

The justice system is not a patchwork quilt; pieces of it sewn together with piecemeal funding, while other

bits of it are left to form a design of inequality reshaped by years of underfunding and lack of investment.

We must all recognise the value of our fourth emergency service, the justice system, and commit to protecting it,

or we will find when we most need it there is no justice system to protect us.

When justice isn’t accessible, we all suffer the consequences.

The government must invest in the whole of the justice system. Plugging the gap left by years of underfunding

requires more than just restoring resources. It calls for a reimagined system that prioritises fairness and accessibility,

regardless of a person’s background or financial means.

#InvestinJustice AccesstoJustice

I. Stephanie Boyce FKC, FRSA