Support for legal aid in cases of domestic violence runs high in the House of Lords, reported The Telegraph.
Lord Phillips of Sudbury told the national newspaper that critics of justice secretary Kenneth Clarke's reforms of the legal aid system are in "absolute agreement" that such cases - as well as those involving social welfare - must still benefit from legal aid.
Mr Clarke's proposals, which would see legal help severely limited in a number of areas including clinical negligence and employment, have been put forward to save the government £350 million, but have been heavily criticised by many key figures.
According to Lord Phillips, the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition will need to make significant changes to the plans to receive his backing and that of his peers. The legal aid system often allows London solicitors and other legal representatives to take on cases even when the complainant cannot afford fees.
"There is no doubt that if the government does not make major concessions there will be amendments in the House of Lords and the government will lose. I promise you that," added the peer.
Further problems for Mr Clarke and his Ministry of Justice arose earlier this month, when a King's College London report claimed that the savings made by cutting legal aid may be significantly less than half what the government has said, reported The Guardian.
Researchers at the London university claimed that knock-on costs could reduce savings to £100 million - just 42 per cent of the net figure originally estimated.
