A LABOUR government would provide automatic legal aid funding for the bereaved at inquests where their relative has died in custody, shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon has said.

At a meeting in Parliament organised by the charity Inquest on Tuesday night, he condemned the fact that families were reduced to “shaking a collection tin” through online crowdfunding.

There are about 500 inquests a year into deaths in custody, prisons and mental health institutions.

Labour estimates that the annual bill for legal aid in such cases would cost around £4 million a year.

The government has claimed it would cost tens of millions of pounds.

Mr Burgon said: “As justice secretary, I would not be able to look myself in the mirror, bereaved families in the eye or our justice system with pride if we do not provide proper legal support to those who have been the victims of deaths in custody with legal aid representation.”

Deborah Coles, the director of Inquest, said the government’s decision last month to deny legal aid was a “betrayal” of families who had invested so much time in the review. 

Justice Minister Lucy Frazer told the Inquest meeting she would talk to other departments to see if she could provide extra funding.