Prime Minister Andy Burnham has expressed significant reservations regarding proposals inherited from the previous administration to limit jury trials in England and Wales. He has signaled a desire to scrutinize these plans, which were championed by former justice secretary David Lammy as a solution to the record-breaking 80,000-case backlog in Crown Courts.
The controversial proposals, slated for inclusion in the upcoming Courts and Tribunals Bill, would replace juries with single judges in cases where a defendant faces a potential sentence of three years or less. Burnham stated that his natural inclination is to avoid curtailing access to jury trials, describing his current review process as an effort to examine inherited policies before finalizing them. He explicitly noted he is open to implementing changes to these plans.
Legal professionals and critics have strongly opposed the potential reforms. Kirsty Brimelow KC, head of the Bar Council, argued that reducing jury trials is unnecessary and could prove counter-productive. Instead, the Bar Council advocates for utilizing empty courtrooms and improving judicial listing processes to address delays. Similarly, the Law Society has warned that any strategy to reduce backlogs must not undermine fundamental legal safeguards or public confidence in the justice system.
In a related development, the Prime Minister has initiated the process to reinstate Hull East MP Karl Turner to the Parliamentary Labour Party. Turner, an outspoken critic of the jury trial restrictions, was previously suspended by Sir Keir Starmer. Turner has long argued that the policy represents an unacceptable erosion of rights and has urged the government to pursue alternative methods to manage court volume. With the new administration’s shift in tone, legal stakeholders expressed optimism that their concerns regarding the integrity of the jury system will finally be addressed.
