Andy Burnham Just Scrapped The Plan To Curb Jury Trials — Here's What Changed And Why It Matters

The government has U-turned on one of its most controversial justice policies. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has scrapped plans to limit jury trials in England and Wales, BBC News reports.

What Was The Plan?

The proposals were introduced under Sir Keir Starmer's government and first announced by then-Justice Secretary David Lammy last December. They followed a major review of the court system.

The idea: let judges alone decide cases that would lead to a sentence of less than three years. Jury trials would be reserved for the most serious offences, such as murder and rape.

The aim was to tackle the court backlog, which the BBC says now stands at nearly 81,000 cases. Official projections suggest it could hit 100,000 before the next general election.

What Happens Instead?

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said he had heard the "strength of feeling" and decided to "change course".

Under the new approach, only complex fraud and financial offences would be heard by a judge alone. The government also proposes that thousands of medium-level crimes stay with volunteer magistrates, who also sit without a jury, according to the BBC.

Norris said he remains committed to cutting the backlog and delivering swifter justice, adding: "Justice delayed is justice denied."

Sky News also reports that the plan to curb jury trials will be scrapped.

Who's Happy About It?

Criminal lawyers, for one. Andrew Thomas KC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said the profession was "delighted" and that "justice needs juries".

The Conservatives called it a "major victory". Shadow justice secretary Nick Timothy said Labour had been "forced to abandon its central attack on jury trials in the Crown Court".

Labour MP Karl Turner, who was suspended from the parliamentary party after criticising the original plans, thanked Burnham for his support during his campaign.

But Not Everyone Is Fully Convinced

Thomas warned that the plan to keep more mid-ranking cases with magistrates could still backfire. He said removing defendants' right to choose a Crown Court trial, while doubling magistrates' sentencing powers to two years, would move 25,000 cases a year out of the Crown Court. That includes 5,500 jury trials.

Those cases include assaults, sexual assaults, child abuse and grievous bodily harm. Thomas said magistrates are not equipped for complex, multi-day trials and called it a potential "car crash" given the shortage of magistrates.

The BBC also notes there are signs the backlog is stabilising after the government committed unlimited funding for more judges to sit in otherwise unused courts.

The Tea

• Burnham has dropped Starmer-era plans to expand judge-alone trials in the Crown Court.
• Only complex fraud and financial cases will go judge-alone, with more mid-level cases staying with magistrates.
• Lawyers and Tories are celebrating, but critics warn the magistrates plan has its own problems.

What Happens Next?

The government says it will still push ahead with other reforms in the bill, including new protections for victims and witnesses at trial. These include powers to prevent unfair questioning about a complainant's behaviour.

The big open question is whether the backlog keeps stabilising without the jury changes, and whether the magistrates proposal survives scrutiny.

Do you think juries should be protected at all costs, or does the backlog demand bigger changes? Tell us in the comments.

Sources: BBC News, Sky News