Justice Secretary Faces Accusations of Hypocrisy Over Court Reforms
Justice Secretary David Lammy is confronting significant political opposition and accusations of hypocrisy over his controversial proposal to effectively scrap jury trials in most criminal cases. The plans, revealed on Tuesday 25 November 2025, have sparked a fierce response from his Conservative counterpart Robert Jenrick, who claims Lammy is abandoning a system he once proudly defended.
The Backlog Crisis Driving Radical Change
The proposed overhaul comes as the criminal justice system in England and Wales faces unprecedented pressure. Official figures reveal the Crown Court backlog reached a record high of almost 80,000 cases by June 2025, while magistrates' courts were struggling with an astonishing 361,027 outstanding cases.
According to a leaked memo, Lammy, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, wrote to ministers and senior civil servants in November arguing that there was no right to jury trials in the UK and that drastic action was essential to address the mounting crisis. The proposed legislation would restrict jury trials to only the most serious offences including murder, rape, and manslaughter cases, with all other criminal matters being heard solely by a judge.
Political and Legal Backlash Intensifies
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick launched a scathing attack on the proposals, stating: Now he's in office, he's getting rid of them in virtually every case. Scrapping this pillar of our constitution because of the administrative failure to reduce the court backlog is a disgrace.
Jenrick further accused the Labour government of avoiding the hard work of governing and abandoning a fundamental democratic principle. He added: The Labour Party thinks that judges always know best. We see it in their approach to the Chagos Islands, the European Convention on Human Rights and, now, in their willingness to scrap jury trials.
The legal profession has responded with equal concern. Riel Karmy-Jones KC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, warned: This is beginning to smell like a coordinated campaign against public justice. The government are using the backlog as a pretext for restricting the right to jury trial and to exclude ordinary people from being involved in the cases that matter to them the most.
Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, stated the move goes too far, emphasising that society's concept of justice rests heavily on lay participation in determining guilt or innocence. Allowing a single person to take away someone's liberty represents a dramatic departure from our shared values, he concluded.
The government's proposed legislation is scheduled for early next year, setting the stage for a major constitutional battle over the future of Britain's justice system.
