Britain scraps heavily criticised plans to curb jury trials after backlash

Britain will scrap plans to remove the historic right to trial by jury for defendants in less serious criminal cases, the government announced on Sunday, in response to sustained criticism of the proposals by many lawyers and politicians.



The decision by Andy Burnham, who became prime minister in July, to drop his predecessor Keir Starmer's policy comes as hundreds of prisoners were released early to stop prisons becoming full, in just one element of a criminal justice crisis.



Plans to curb jury trials for cases where a jail sentence was likely to be less than three years would be abandoned, the Ministry of Justice said, which was broadly welcomed by the Criminal Bar Association and other groups.



But lawyers raised concerns over the MoJ's decision to increase sentencing powers for magistrates – who hear trials for more minor offences without a jury – and the removal of defendants' right to elect trial by jury.



"I have heard the strength of feeling on the proposals for increasing the number of judge-alone trials in the Crown Court and have made the decision to change course," Justice Secretary Alex Norris said.



CBA chair Andrew Thomas thanked the government for "listening to the evidence and reaching the right verdict", though he said "a severe threat to our trial by jury remains".



The Bar Council's chair Kirsty Brimelow agreed, saying that giving magistrates greater powers when the backlog in magistrates' courts is increasing could be counterproductive.