Govt U-turns on 'unpalatable' probate fee in run up to election

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) U-turned on the proposed legislation on Thursday, saying there was not enough time for it to go through Parliament before the General Election on 8 June. Put forward by Justice Secretary Liz Truss, the proposal looked to replace the current £215 flat fee with a tiered probate fee structure based on the value of a person's estate, effectively increasing costs for higher value estates to anything up to £20,000. The legislation was first presented to Parliament in February, with a view to come into effect from May. It was expected to raise more than £250m f...