Britain scraps heavily criticised plans to curb jury trials after backlash - Reuters

Britain’s government announced on 4 October that it will abandon a set of reforms that would have allowed judges to decide certain criminal cases without a jury. The decision was taken by Prime Minister Andy Burnham after a period of intense criticism from legal professionals, opposition politicians and members of the public.

The proposals, first outlined by former Justice Secretary David Lammy in December, were part of a broader review of the court system in England and Wales. They would have permitted judge‑alone trials in cases where the expected custodial sentence was under three years, limiting jury trials to the most serious offences. The Ministry of Justice later clarified that only complex fraud and financial crimes would be subject to judge‑alone hearings, while a large number of medium‑level offences would continue to be heard by magistrates who sit without a jury.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the policy was withdrawn after he “heard the strength of feeling” on the issue. He explained that the government had reconsidered the reforms in response to the volume of opposition expressed by lawyers, advocacy groups and the wider public.

Legal bodies welcomed the reversal. The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) described the move as the government “listening to the evidence and reaching the right verdict”, while the Bar Council’s chair, Kirsty Brimelow, also praised the decision but warned that “a severe threat to our trial by jury remains”. The Conservative Party hailed the change as a “major victory” for those defending the right to a jury trial.

The reforms had been promoted as a way to address a growing backlog of criminal cases, which now stands at nearly 81 000 and is projected to approach 100 000 before the next general election. The backlog has been linked to cuts made before the pandemic and to court closures during national lockdowns, contributing to longer waits for defendants and victims and exacerbating pressures on the prison system.

While the plan to curtail jury trials has been scrapped, the Ministry of Justice’s announcement also included an expansion of magistrates’ sentencing powers and retained the option for defendants to forgo a jury trial in certain circumstances. Lawyers expressed concern that these changes could still erode the historic right to be tried by a jury, and they called for further scrutiny of the remaining elements of the reform package.