HAMPSHIRE lawyers helped force a Government climbdown over controversial plans to strip defendants of the right to choose a solicitor.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling surprised MPs by abandoning a key aspect of his legal aid shake-up – just weeks after strongly defending the policy.

The U-turn came after Winchester MP Steve Brine urged ministers to think again, as he revealed the scale of opposition from lawyers in the “home of the western circuit”.

The huge backlash from barristers and solicitors – and pressure from Conservative MPs – was widely seen as having triggered the rethink.

As a result, “client choice” will be retained, instead of defendants being forced to pick from a list of firms approved by the State.

Last night, Mr Brine said: “I’m very pleased. I think the debate we had last week has moved the Government.”

In that debate, The Winchester MP said the issue of “price competitive tendering” had been “repeatedly raised with me by constituents”.

And he told MPs how one practising barrister had revealed the likely impact on a young man with mental health problems, arrested for having a knife in a public place. Under the current system, the man was able to contact a solicitor he “knew and trusted”, who had the defendant’s previous psychiatric reports on file.

After a two-day trial, he was acquitted and further psychiatric treatment was ordered, allowing the man – now diagnosed with Asperger’s – to be placed on the correct medication.

Mr Brine explained: “He even has a job for a couple of hours a week.

“My and my constituent’s concern is that, under pricecompetitive tendering, the duty solicitor – who almost certainly would not know the defendant – might well advise a guilty plea.

“My constituent tells me that the fee is the same for a guilty plea as it is for a short trial, so what is the incentive to have a trial?

“There is a huge potential conflict of interest for the advocate, says my constituent, with the young man possibly being sent to prison, resulting in devastating consequences for him and the State. I think he makes a powerful point.”

Announcing the U-turn, Mr Grayling said: “Removing the choice of solicitor for clients receiving criminal legal aid was only proposed in order to guarantee lawyers had enough business to make contracts viable.

“It is clear the profession regards client choice as important and so I expect to make changes that allow a choice of solicitor in the future.”

The move will not affect the scale of the cuts – totalling £220m – to be made to the legal aid budget, ensuring further controversy.