Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trials
BBC News 2026-10-04 03:07:30
Context: The UK government, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has abandoned plans to limit jury trials in certain cases. The proposed changes, introduced by former Justice Secretary David Lammy, would have allowed judges to decide cases with sentences of less than three years without a jury. The decision to scrap the plans comes after widespread criticism from criminal lawyers, with the Conservative party hailing it as a "major victory" for those who fought to defend trial by jury.
Key Facts
- The Ministry of Justice had proposed that only complex fraud and financial offences would be tried by a judge alone, while thousands of medium-level crimes would remain with volunteer magistrates.
- The courts backlog in England and Wales currently stands at nearly 81,000 cases, with official projections estimating it could reach 100,000 before the next general election.
- The original plans would have reserved jury trials for the most serious "indictable" offences, such as murder and rape, and allowed judges to decide less serious cases without a jury.
- Justice Secretary Alex Norris stated that he changed course after hearing the "strength of feeling" about the original proposals, and remains committed to bringing down the backlog and delivering swifter justice.