Partial U-Turn on Jury Trial Reforms
The Ministry of Justice said juries will stay in most Crown Court cases, with 80,829 cases still waiting at the end of June.
- On Sunday, Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced that Britain will scrap plans to remove the right to jury trials for defendants in less serious criminal cases, responding to sustained criticism from lawyers and politicians.
- The reversal abandons a policy introduced by former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former Justice Secretary David Lammy, who had claimed the changes were 'desperately needed' to prevent 'agonising delays' in the court system.
- Ministry of Justice figures show 80,829 cases were pending at the end of June, with the backlog nearly doubling since 2020; critics including Barrister Karl Turner argued that neglect, rather than jury trials, caused delays.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris, sworn in on Thursday, said he decided to 'change course' after hearing the 'strength of feeling' on the proposals, with juries now retained for most cases except some fraud offences.
- The Courts and Tribunals Bill will return to Parliament later this month with legislative amendments reflecting these changes, though the Law Society of England and Wales warns that record backlogs require increased capacity beyond policy shifts.
13 Articles
13 Articles
Andy Burnham formally scraps Keir Starmer's plans to end jury trials in major Labour U-turn
Andy Burnham has formally scrapped Labour's highly controversial plans to end some jury trials in a major party U-turn.The plans were brought in under Sir Keir Starmer in a bid to tackle the nation's court backlog.But now, his No10 replacement is bringing them to an end.Only some fraud and financial offences will now be allowed to be heard before a judge alone without a jury, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.Justice Secretary Alex Norris said …
Britain scraps heavily criticised plans to curb jury trials after backlash
By Sam Tobin LONDON, Oct 4 (Reuters) - Britain will scrap plans to remove the historic right to trial by jury for defendants in less serious criminal cases, the government announced on Sunday, in response to sustained criticism of the proposals by man...
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