Geoffrey Robertson KC, the founder of Keir Starmer's former legal chambers, has condemned government plans to restrict jury trials in England and Wales as a 'betrayal' of Labour values. In a 9,000-word polemic published on the Bar Council's website, Robertson argues the proposals are a 'cure worse than the disease' that would undermine a cherished part of English heritage.
Robertson, founding head of Doughty Street Chambers where the attorney general and justice secretary also worked, claims the Courts and Tribunals Bill would slash jury trials by about half. He warns that historic figures such as Clive Ponting, cleared by a jury despite a judge's direction to convict, would not have been entitled to a jury trial under the new rules.
The human rights lawyer also raises concerns about hypothetical prosecutions of Peter Mandelson or Prince Andrew in relation to the Epstein files, suggesting they could lose their right to jury trial due to the 'lengthy' and 'complex' nature of such cases. He argues that juries provide a 'surer guide to the right result' than a judge alone.
Robertson describes claims that the criminal justice system could collapse without the reforms as exaggerated, attributing the backlog to spending cuts rather than jury trials. He says the proposals would create additional burdens, including extra hearings to determine trial eligibility and detailed written reasoning from judges.
Bar Council chair Kirsty Brimelow KC applauded Robertson's analysis, urging MPs to 'stop the jury-wrecking parts of the bill in its tracks'. A Ministry of Justice source defended the reforms, arguing that 'years of inaction by the Tories' had created a system where 'justice delayed has become justice denied'.
