Leading law firms have condemned the government's Courts and Tribunals Bill after it passed its first Commons vote, warning that David Lammy's proposed reforms risk concentrating power in the hands of politicians and undermining the independence of the criminal justice system. Roger Gherson, senior partner at Gherson Solicitors LLP, said the legislation posed a direct danger to civil liberties, pointing to recent sanctions litigation as a warning of what could follow. "The concentration of power in the hands of politicians and the judiciary is a threat to freedom, liberty, and democracy," he said. Gherson pointed to the case of the £38 million superyacht Phi, which was seized by the UK in March 2022 as part of sanctions against Russia, as a sign of things to come. "This case alone gives one a taste of how things would likely play out in the future if these reforms to the Courts and Tribunals Bill actually come to force," he said. "Political justice to order irrespective of the reality and the facts." Jan Matthews, managing partner at Reeds Solicitors LLP, said the government had taken a step towards dismantling a cornerstone of the criminal justice system, while simultaneously failing to tackle its underlying problems. "We are disappointed to hear that the Labour government has taken a step towards undermining one of the fundamental pillars of our criminal justice system," he said. "What is worse is that the changes in no way address the root problems: lack of judges and courts, an underfunded Crown Prosecution Service and an ever-dwindling number of legal aid criminal solicitors and barristers." The Bill, brought forward by Foreign Secretary-turned-Justice Secretary Lammy, cleared its first reading in the Commons by 304 to 203 on Tuesday. Critics argue the reforms risk politicising the courts without delivering the resources the justice system urgently needs....