Andy Burnham formally scraps Keir Starmer's plans to end jury trials in major Labour U-turn

Andy Burnham has formally scrapped Labour's highly controversial plans to end some jury trials in a major party U-turn.

The plans were brought in under Sir Keir Starmer in a bid to tackle the nation's court backlog.

But now, his No10 replacement is bringing them to an end, confirming reports from last month.

Only some fraud and financial offences will now be allowed to be heard before a judge alone without a jury, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris said he decided to "change course" after hearing the "strength of feeling on the proposals".

The plan faced opposition from MPs and legal professionals concerned over fairness, curtailing rights, and a lack of evidence the move would even help bring down the backlog.

The man leading the campaign was Labour MP and barrister Karl Turner, who threatened to quit the Commons all the way back in January over the controversial plans.

Mr Turner even had the Labour whip suspended after he blasted the plan in public.

He has now welcomed the decision, thanking the Prime Minister “for his support during my campaign”.

Former Justice Secretary David Lammy, who led the move alongside Sir Keir, had claimed to MPs the reforms were “desperately needed” to prevent victims facing “agonising delays”.

MoJ figures showed there were still a staggering 80,829 cases still to be dealt with at the end of June - a backlog which had nearly doubled since 2020.

In a break with centuries of Common Law, Mr Lammy had wanted to reserve jury trials for "indictable-only" offences such as murder and rape, and lesser "either-way" offences with a likely sentence of more than three years in prison.

Other cases would instead have only been heard by a single crown court judge.

Mr Norris insisted that scrapping the proposal would allow the Government to reduce the backlog faster, as it would require less structural change.

Another change announced by the MoJ will see criminals accused of “relatively minor crimes” losing the right to choose a Crown Court jury trial rather than a magistrates one, with courts having the final say on where “either-way” offences are sent.

The Justice Secretary said: “This Government inherited criminal courts on the brink of collapse, with victims waiting years for their day in court.

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“I remain committed to bringing down the backlog and delivering swifter justice for those who so desperately need it.

“But 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.

“This allows us to start that work far earlier, ensuring that under this Government we do not have victims waiting endlessly for justice.

“Justice delayed is justice denied, and I am committed to maximising efficiencies in our system alongside record investment. I remain committed to structural reform which is crucial if we are to bring down the backlog.”

The changes will be made to the Courts and Tribunals Bill, due back in Parliament later this month.

Responding to the U-turn last night, Mr Turner told PA: “I strongly welcome the fact that the new Justice Secretary, Alex Norris, has rightly binned the unworkable plans to curtail jury trials pursued under the previous Labour prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer.

“I have been pleased to engage directly with the Justice Secretary and his political advisers in recent weeks, and those discussions have been constructive and encouraging.

“While we must await the detail of the Government’s plans before judging how effective they will ultimately be in practice, I am pleased that Prime Minister Andy Burnham has honoured the commitment he gave me to drop the proposed Crown Court Bench Division (CCBD), a new tier of criminal court that I believe would have been unworkable, unjust and undemocratic.

“I have consistently made the case that people facing serious criminal charges deserve the fundamental safeguard of a jury trial, and I am hugely grateful to Andy Burnham for his support during my campaign against David Lammy’s proposals.

“I also want to place on record my thanks to Justice Secretary Alex Norris for engaging with me so positively and constructively.

“But the Government should be in no doubt that if its eventual proposals are unworkable, fail to protect the right to a fair trial or undermine access to justice, they will not secure the support they need in the House of Lords.

“I will continue to press the Government to ensure that any reforms to our criminal courts strengthen access to justice, protect the right to a fair trial and command the confidence of the public.

“This is an important step, but the fight to protect access to justice and ensure justice is properly served for both victims and the accused does not end here”.

Even Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said: “This is a major victory for everyone who fought to defend trial by jury, and Conservatives led that fight from day one.

"Labour have been forced to abandon its central attack on jury trials in the Crown Court.

“Labour are restricting juries by the back door, scrapping the right to elect one and dumping those cases on magistrates whose backlog is at a record high.”