Prime Minister Keir Starmer is confronting a significant internal revolt, with dozens of his own Labour MPs vehemently opposing government plans to drastically reduce the number of jury trials.
MPs Brand Proposals 'Madness' in Warning Letter
In a stark warning to the Prime Minister, almost 40 Labour MPs have signed a letter branding the proposals "madness". The letter, spearheaded by backbencher Karl Turner, argues that the "drastic restriction" of the right to a jury trial is "not a silver bullet" for solving the courts crisis.
The correspondence, which has been shared publicly, includes the signature of Mother of the House of Commons, Diane Abbott. It condemns the plans as "an ineffective way of dealing with the crippling backlog in cases in our criminal system". The MPs warn that limiting a fundamental right for what they claim will be a marginal impact on the backlog is misguided and will create more problems than it solves.
Lammy's Plan to Halve Jury Cases
The rebellion centres on proposals unveiled earlier this month by Justice Secretary David Lammy. The plan would see defendants facing potential sentences of less than three years lose their automatic right to a trial by jury. This reform is expected to halve the proportion of cases going to juries, from around 3% to just 1.5%.
Ministers insist the move is essential to tackle the mammoth backlog in the courts, which currently stands at nearly 80,000 cases, leaving victims waiting years for justice. They have stressed that juries will remain for the most serious indictable offences, including rape, murder, and terrorism.
MPs Demand Alternative Solutions to Backlog
In their letter, the rebelling MPs argue that the government should focus on other measures to clear the court delays. They call for investment in more judges, an increase in court sitting days, and reductions in delays for prisoner transport.
The letter highlights that while around 130,000 sitting days are available annually, sitting days are currently restricted by 20,000. It welcomes a government pledge to add 5,000 days but warns this still leaves a "substantial shortfall".
In a pointed historical comparison, the MPs noted: "Every day during the Second World War juries continued to sit reverting from 12 to 7 jurors, we are not at war!"
The scale of the potential rebellion was underscored by Karl Turner, who stated on social media that "many more MPs, not on this letter, have said they will rebel if necessary". This threat represents a significant challenge for Starmer, who in July suffered his biggest rebellion to date when 49 Labour MPs voted against the government over benefit cuts.
During Prime Minister's Questions last week, Starmer defended the policy's intent to Mr Turner, assuring him that "juries will remain a cornerstone of our justice system for the most serious cases". However, with a large cohort of his party in open dissent, the Prime Minister faces a tough battle to implement this contentious legal reform.
