Lammy Proposes Ending Jury Trials for Most UK Cases

Justice Secretary David Lammy is facing widespread criticism over leaked proposals to eliminate jury trials for most criminal cases in England and Wales, limiting them to only the most serious offenses as a means to address a mounting backlog in the Crown Courts. The plans, outlined in a November memo from Lammy to ministers and senior civil servants, come amid a crisis that has left nearly 78,000 cases awaiting trial as of June 2025, according to Ministry of Justice figures.

The memo argues there is no absolute right to jury trials under UK law and calls for urgent measures to reduce delays that have prolonged suffering for victims and witnesses. Under the suggested changes, juries would handle cases involving murder, manslaughter, serious assault, and matters of significant public interest, while less severe offenses would be decided by a single judge. This approach would require primary legislation, potentially introduced early next year, and represents a more radical shift than recommendations from an independent review led by Sir Brian Leveson.

Leveson's July report, commissioned to examine the criminal courts system, proposed creating an intermediate Crown Court Bench...