The British justice system faces its most radical transformation in centuries as the government proposes to abolish jury trials for all but the most serious criminal cases.
The Bombshell Proposal
In a dramatic policy reversal, Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy announced through a leaked briefing to all government departments that jury trials would be eliminated for most offences, preserving them only for murder, rape, manslaughter and cases deemed to be in the public interest. The briefing document, marked 'sensitive and official', explicitly stated that 'there is no right to a jury trial' in Britain.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood aims to create a new tier of court where judges would handle tens of thousands of criminal offences alone. The reforms would see cases with possible sentences of up to five years directed to this lower-tier court, with judges replacing juries in an estimated 75 per cent of all trials.
Addressing the Court Backlog
The government justifies this seismic shift as necessary to tackle the enormous court backlog of almost 80,000 cases that has crippled the justice system. Under the proposed changes, magistrates would also see their maximum sentencing powers increased from six months to 24 months, enabling them to handle more serious cases without juries.
The official document revealed that 'the Deputy Prime Minister has now taken his final decisions and is currently seeking collective agreement via write round', indicating the government is preparing the groundwork for primary legislation to implement these changes.
Furious Backlash from Legal Experts
The proposals have triggered immediate and widespread condemnation from lawyers and legal organisations who describe them as 'the biggest assault on our system of liberty in 800 years'. Critics accuse the government of resorting to extremes and warn that removing jury trials will effectively usher in secret justice.
Riel Karmy-Jones KC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, stated: 'This will destroy a criminal justice system that has been the pride of this country for centuries. Juries are not the cause of the backlog - the cause is systematic underfunding and neglect.'
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick condemned the plans as 'a disgrace', arguing that scrapping this constitutional pillar due to administrative failures represents an abandonment of fundamental democratic principles.
Former Attorney General Suella Braverman echoed these concerns, stating: 'Trial by your peers is a fundamental right in our democracy and goes to the core of who we are as a nation.'
Hypocrisy Accusations and Government Response
David Lammy faces accusations of rank hypocrisy given his previous strong support for jury trials. In 2020, he insisted that 'juries are a fundamental part of our democratic settlement' and that 'criminal trials without juries are a bad idea'. His 2017 review into racism in the criminal justice system had concluded that 'juries are a success story of our justice system'.
Facing mounting fury from legal groups, the Ministry of Justice hastily issued a statement claiming 'no final decision has been taken'. A spokesman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters that 'jury trials will remain a cornerstone of our justice system for the most serious cases', while acknowledging the government is considering whether some cases might not require juries.
The proposals go significantly further than Sir Brian Leveson's recommendations, which suggested judge-only trials only for serious and complex fraud cases and other technically complex proceedings.
