A number of high-profile public figures have thrown their weight behind a campaign against legal aid cuts.

Actor Emma Thompson, political scholar Noam Chomsky and the mother of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence Baroness Doreen Lawrence called on the Liberal Democrats yesterday to press for a halt to changes to legal aid.

Director Ken Loach, human rights campaigners Peter Tatchell and Bianca Jagger have also sent messages to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

Around 3,000 people from across Britain have signed specially designed postcards, which were delivered yesterday to the Lib Dem headquarters in Westminster as part of a campaign organised by Save Justice.

Justice Secretary Chris Grayling's reforms will see prisoners' access to legal aid limited, a household disposable income threshold for criminal legal aid introduced and set out proposals for reducing the cost of fees for representation.

Mr Grayling hopes the proposals will deliver savings of £220 million per year by 2018/19.

A Save Justice spokesman said the proposals were being "rushed through without a proper debate in Parliament" and would do "significant damage" to the reputation of Britain's justice system.

Liberty legal director James Welch said: "The current proposals put justice beyond the reach of the most vulnerable and put the fairness of our criminal justice system in serious jeopardy."

The delivery of the postcards comes after Lib Dem members voted at their party conference for party leaders to halt to any further legal aid cuts.

An open letter to Mr Clegg condemning the cuts has been signed by more than 120 charities and organisations, including Amnesty International, Liberty and the Children's Society.