Government slashes rights to trial by jury in court shake-up Legal Justice secretary David Lammy has confirmed his controversial plans to scrap some jury trials to tackle the nearly 80,000 criminal cases backlog. Speaking in the House of Commons, after a week of outrage following a leak of the plan, Lammy told MPs that he will “follow Sir Brian [Leveson]’s bold blueprint for change”, by creating [...]
David Lammy promises ‘fast and fair justice’ plan after jury trial leak sparked outrage Politics After a week of criticism following leaked details of plans to scrap some jury trials, David Lammy is expected to address the controversy on Tuesday and outline the next steps in the government’s plan to overhaul the justice system. The backlog at the Crown Court stands at almost 80,000 cases, but the justice secretary has [...]
Robert Jenrick leads pushback against David Lammy’s plans to scrap jury trials Legal The justice secretary is facing accusations of hypocrisy over his proposed scrapping of jury trials, after his Tory opposite number Robert Jenrick said it was a system David Lammy once ‘proudly defended’ before coming to power. Jenrick stated, “Now [Lammy is] in office, he’s getting rid of them in virtually every case. “Scrapping this pillar [...]
David Lammy proposing to scrap some jury trials to tackle backlog November 25, 2025 As the criminal justice system continues to crumble, the justice secretary David Lammy is reportedly proposing a major shake-up that would scrap some jury trials. Currently, all criminal trials are heard in front of a jury that decides on the accused’s fate; however, Lammy’s proposal will see jury trials only for murder, rape or manslaughter [...]
UK justice ministry adopts ChatGPT to cut red tape October 23, 2025 OpenAI has signed a new agreement with the UK Ministry of Justice (MoJ) that will see 2,500 civil servants gain access to ChatGPT, as the government prioritises rolling out AI to modernise public services. Announced on Thursday at the OpenAI frontiers conference in London, the move forms part of a broader deal signed earlier this [...]
Jenrick pledges to sack judges accused of pro-migration activism October 7, 2025 Robert Jenrick announced a sweeping crackdown on what he describes as “pro-migration bias” in the judiciary, vowing to remove so-called “activist” judges. Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, claims to have identified more than 30 judges, both full-time and part-time, who previously volunteered for or provided free legal services to open-border organisations. He told the crowd [...]
Justice secretary granted new veto powers over ‘independent’ public body September 2, 2025 The justice secretary has been granted the power to sign off on any new guidelines for prison sentences as part of a push for Parliament to have a say in the justice system, following political backlash earlier this year. As part of the Sentencing Bill, set to be introduced to the House of Commons today, [...]
Criminal Case Review chief ‘scapegoat’ resigns after historic failures January 14, 2025 The chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission Helen Pitcher has resigned, claiming she was made a “scapegoat” for the failures over a wrongly convicted man
Sir Brian Leveson leading ‘once-in-a-generation’ review into criminal courts December 12, 2024 The man who led the News of the World inquiry has been chosen to review the criminal courts, at a time when data revealed backlogs has reached a record high
Autumn Budget 2024: Government to examine ‘tough alternatives to custody’ in prison reforms October 30, 2024 The Chancellor has revealed a £2.3bn investment in prison expansion to create thousands of new prison places, as the government aims to "repair the justice system"