Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has announced the “biggest expansion of legal aid in a generation”.

In his keynote speech at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool, the Justice Secretary said he is “so proud” to put the expansion into force.

The boost, Mr Lammy says, will help ordinary families tackle the legal cost burden if they are ever caught up in court procedures.

The Justice Secretary was full of praise for legal aid lawyers, who he says offer support for local communities for “much less than they could earn elsewhere”.

In his speech, he said: “Let’s end the lie about one of Clement Attlee’s greatest creations. Legal aid. The myth of fat cat lawyers is destructive.

“Legal aid lawyers are not rich. Many are paid less than nurses, teachers and police who rely on them in court.

“They are the high street lawyers of Cornwall, Tottenham, Liverpool and Leeds, serving their communities for much less than they could earn elsewhere.

“I’m so proud that Hillsborough Law means never again will grieving families be left without a lawyer where the state lines up against them. Conference, this marks the biggest expansion of legal aid in a generation, backed by the biggest investment in a decade.