In 1997, Mr Witham wanted to bring an action for defamation. However, legal aid wasn’t available for defamation claims and we was unable to afford the court fees due, the Lord Chancellor having withdrawn an exemption from fees for people on income support. In this episode we look at how Bindmans successfully claimed that this violated Mr. Witham’s common law constitutional right to access to the courts in one of the first cases that propounded the principle of fundamental constitutional rights at common law.

Music by Joystock - www.joystock.org