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The Lord Chancellor stands accused of attempting to dilute the upper echelons of the Bar by appointing more silks than ever before, despite a marked reduction in the number of applications.
Several longstanding silks commented that the Lord Chancellor's aim is to counter the impression that the QCs form an exclusive club. This follows the Office of Fair Trading's allegations that the silk system is anti-competitive.
Lord Irvine received 394 silk applications in the latest round, and appointed 121. Last year, 429 applied and 113 were appointed. Prior to last year, an average of 14 per cent of applicants were successful. This increased to 26.3 per cent in 2002 and to 30.7 per cent this year.
One silk said: "Some people who've tried...