Posted on 11/25/2025 8:39:41 AM PST by cotton1706
Ministers have proposed to end the right to a jury trial for a vast range of criminal offences in England and Wales, as they grapple with a vast backlog of cases that is delaying hearings by more than a year in many instances.
Under the shake-up, juries would remain involved in only the most serious trials — for offences such as rape, murder and manslaughter — or if there was a strong public interest in the case. All other cases would be heard by a judge sitting alone.
The proposals were set out in a memo by justice secretary David Lammy, as reported by The Times. One person who had seen the memo said the account was accurate.
Lammy’s plans go far beyond proposals set out in July by retired High Court judge Sir Brian Leveson, who called for the end of the right to jury trial for a far more limited range of offences.
Leveson suggested limiting trial by jury to cases likely to result in a prison sentence of more than three years. He also proposed ending the use of juries in fraud and other serious and complex cases.
But rather than having one judge hearing non-jury cases alone, Leveson recommended that two magistrates sit alongside them.
Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, called the proposals “extreme”.
“This is a fundamental change to how our criminal justice system operates and it goes too far,” he said.
The Ministry of Justice said that no final decisions had been made.
(Excerpt) Read more at ft.com ...
“To throw this away is to strike at the very foundations of English Law:”
That’s the whole point.
L
Headline sounds horrifying!
BUMP for later reading
There really is little need for juries now that Sharia law has become the law of the land. Local Imams can decide which white Christians are guilty and administer the appropriate punishment.
"In 2023, British police made 12,183 arrests for offensive, false, or menacing messages sent online, which averages to approximately 33 arrests per day."
Wow, this will be coming here if we are not careful.
The government is presenting the removal of jury trials as a “pragmatic solution” to a court backlog, but the real reason is financial and political. For decades, the UK has poured almost all resources into social programs and welfare, leaving courts and the justice system underfunded. Adding large numbers of migrants on benefits has accelerated the strain. Rather than addressing the root causes — cutting bureaucracy, reforming benefits, or properly funding the courts — the government is quietly stripping citizens of their last safeguard: trial by peers.
Juries are a fundamental check on state power. A judge alone owes loyalty to the state, not the citizen, and promotions, honors, and knighthoods create strong incentives to favor government priorities. Removing juries risks that ordinary citizens, especially those who challenge state policy, will face biased or harsher outcomes, while protected groups receive preferential treatment.
This isn’t just about speed; it’s about fairness, liberty, and the integrity of justice. Cutting jury trials undermines the system and puts every citizen at risk of an unfair trial.
Yes it does. And these governments we we still call allies.
“as they grapple with a vast backlog of cases”
Caused by mass immigration?
At this point this is just proposal, by the Secretary of State for Justice of a very unpopular Government. It has to survive being written into legislation and the Lords can delay it for a year, since it is not a Manifesto commitment
In theory Labour has the votes to pass this, but I don’t think Starmer and Lammy have the political capital to overcome the opposition they are going to face.
Interesting. Thank you for most informative post of the day. (No sarcasm there)
If the government ‘just decides’ on its own to do this, then you know everything you need to know about it.
That said, Tommy Robinson, for all the prison time they’ve thrown at him, has NEVER had a jury. So this is already their direction.
I’d argue they’re realizing just how few ‘rights’ they actually have. They’ve been ‘cultural rights’, not written Constitutional rights.
It’s the establishment the is quickly moving them toward fascism and the people feel powerless to do anything....already disarmed, vote means nothing, hand picked candidates for them, etc..
First they took the UK guns
Then they took away any remnants of free speech
Then they took away the right to display the country’s flag
Now most crimes won’t be judged by a jury of peers.
What is next?
After watching Leftist dominated areas put out juries that
tilt far left in their ideology, it’s soon to be damned if
you do and damned if you don’t, reduce the trials with
juries.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.