'Lynchpin of a fair society' Andy Burnham to scrap plans to curb jury trials

David Lammy announched the plans back in December saying the new system would get cases dealt with a fifth faster than jury trials. He said it was necessary as with current projections, case loads will reach 100,000 by 2028.

The Telegraph reported that the incumbent Prime Minister was drawing up plans to strike out the sections of the Courts and Tribunals Bill that relate to abolishing jury trials. This would allow the legislation to continue its pass through Parliament.

During the Makerfield by-election, the former Manchester mayor referred to the right to trial by jury as a “lynchpin of a fair society”.

The newly-elected MP is understood to be in favour of other measures aimed at reforming the criminal justice system and reducing the endless court backlog.

These include Labour’s manifesto commitment to ensure more prosecutors are available by allowing associate prosecutors to work on appropriate cases.

Lammy's plans faced backlash when they were announced, including criticism from the Criminal Bar Association.

Thirty leading organisations from across the VAWG sector have jointly written to David Lammy, urging him to drop plans to nearly halve the number of jury trials in England and Wales.

The organisations, including Solace Women's Aid, Suzy Lamplugh Trust, Rights of Women, and Respect, have warned it will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims, distract from measures to reduce violence, and fail to address the court backlogs that impact survivors.

Riel Karmy-Jones KC, Chair of the Criminal Bar Association, told LBC: “Let’s be clear – despite the government’s climb down from five back to three years, the proposal as announced today, brings a wrecking ball to a system that is fundamentally sound and has been in place for generations.

"Juries work – they do their job superbly, and without bias. Juries have not caused the backlog."

Ms Sackman said the government inherited a record and rising backlog, with 80,000 criminal cases currently waiting to be heard.

When asked on the subject of rape cases, where complainants are facing delays of up to five years to hear their case, Ms Sackman said: "It's appalling.

"I don't know anyone who can sit here and defend the status quo. It's why bold reform is needed. It's why we've got to fix the the backlog.