Halving jury trials a 'modest change' to justice system, minister says

Jake Richards defended the plans spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy following a wave of opposition from both barristers and MPs including Labour backbenchers.

Mr Lammy, who is also the Justice Secretary, wants to limit jury trials to only the most serious offences, and those with a likely sentence of more than three years in prison.

Ministers hope the move will help to clear a backlog of cases in the courts but the plans have faced a significant backlash, with critics arguing that public trust in the justice system could be undermined as a result.

Asked about the criticism, justice minister Mr Richards told Times Radio: "I'll tell you what is the most dangerous part of undermining trust in our justice system.

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"It's the fact that rape victims are having to wait five, six years for their day in court, which means too often those trials never happen. Justice is not done, and perpetrators of the most heinous crimes never face justice."

He said the Government needed to take "pretty radical action" to ensure a swifter process and that "the very modest changes being proposed to jury trials" were part of a wider package.

It comes after 39 Labour MPs broke cover earlier this month and signed an open letter which indicated they were willing to vote down the proposals in the Commons.

Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Hull East who co-ordinated the letter, claimed "many more" than those who signed the letter were also willing to rebel.

Asked about the prospect of another backbench rebellion, Mr Richards said: "Look, I know Karl, he's been an MP for longer than me, I've got an enormous amount of respect for him.

"But I just completely disagree with him on this topic, and I would urge him to wait and see for the package that comes forward in the new year."

The minister said that around 10% of prosecutions in England and Wales go before a crown court, where jury trials take place.

"Of those, 8% of those plead, so there's never actually any jury trial. So that's 2% of criminal cases, and we are suggesting that should become 1%, so it's essentially halving a very small amount already," he said.

"The vast majority of criminal cases are not dealt by jury trial and so I would suggest it is a modest change."

Barristers from across the UK and Ireland have said they are "deeply concerned" by the plans to restrict the right to a jury trial, describing it as "a fundamental cornerstone of the criminal justice system".

In a statement, the "Four Bars", the bodies representing barristers across Britain and the Republic of Ireland, said there was "no evidence that this fundamental change will bring down the existing crown court backlog".

"The proposal also goes further than Sir Brian Leveson's recommendation, which itself has not been piloted nor thoroughly modelled," they said.

"Importantly, he alerts the Ministry of Justice to the desirability of further detailed analysis before implementation."

They concluded: "The Four Bars stand as one in opposition to this proposal. Legislation is still some time away - the Government has time to listen to the views we express and to change course."