A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "Barristers have refused to work on this case - and a number of other Very High Cost Court Cases - because they do not agree with savings the Government is making to legal aid. Even after the savings, if a QC picked up a case like this one, they could expect to receive around £100,000 for working on it, with a junior barrister receiving around £60,000. The Government has made sure that the Public Defender Service has a number of suitably qualified advocates who could act in this case."