Labour MP Organising Open Letter From Backbenchers To Protest Jury Trial Reforms
Karl Turner was elected as Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East in 2010 (Alamy)
4 min read
Labour MP Karl Turner is organising a backbench letter to protest the government’s proposals to scale back jury trials for less serious offences.
PoliticsHome understands 40 Labour MPs have signed the letter as of Wednesday morning. Government whips have told MPs not to sign, and according to Turner, around 20 have removed their names under pressure.
On Tuesday, Turner told PoliticsHome: "As I understand it, whips are doing what whips do and are expected by discouraging members not to sign the letter or, if they have, to remove their names.
"It matters not at this stage, as there are numerous members that have contacted me to say that they support the campaign to stop the government from their idiotic plans on jury reforms and that they will also vote against these plans should the government be determined to bring forward legislation in the Courts Bill currently expected in the second half of next year."
Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner is understood to be one of the Labour MPs who feel that the government has questions to answer about the reforms. However, she is currently not expected to sign the letter.
"I am aware that Angela Rayner is against these plans and understand that she is continuing to make representations to ministers and the Prime Minister behind the scenes, and I am hugely grateful for her support," Turner said.
He continued that the former deputy prime minister "can see the consequences of these ill-thought-through plans on the criminal justice system, but she can also see how politically damaging this will be at the next election".
Turner added: "It is clear that these plans will not be supported in the House of Lords, and I am growing more confident by the day that the legislation would also be voted down by MPs."
Earlier this month, Justice Secretary David Lammy announced plans to reduce the use of jury trials in England and Wales as part of criminal justice reforms aimed at tackling an unprecedented backlog in Crown Court cases.
Under these proposals, which Lammy said were "bold" but "necessary", juries will no longer be used for crimes with sentences of less than three years. More extreme offences, such as rape and murder, will still be put before a jury, while new "swift courts" will be created within the Crown Court system to help speed up cases.
The former Court of Appeal judge asked by the Labour government to recommend ways of tackling the court backlog, Sir Brian Leveson, said "fundamental" reforms were needed to "reduce the risk of total system collapse".
This month, Turner wrote in The House that he would break the Labour whip for the first time since being elected 15 years ago to oppose the reforms, calling them “both a dereliction of duty and an ineffective way of dealing with a crippling backlog of cases”.
Supporters of the move have sought to challenge these claims.
Catherine Atkinson, Labour MP for Derby North and a barrister, wrote in The House that parts of the government announcement had "attracted a huge amount of misconception and misunderstanding" and that, under the proposals, "almost three-quarters of all trials going to the Crown Court will continue to be heard by juries".
She added: "While we are rightly proud of our legal traditions, it is also untrue to suggest the lack of jury trials is something unique to despotic regimes.
"In fact, Sweden – currently placed at number one in the World Justice Project global rankings – is a country that doesn’t use jury trials at all. Norway, ranked number three, also doesn’t. In Germany and the Netherlands, the situation is the same. In France, Denmark and Canada, only the most serious cases are heard by juries."
A Labour Party briefing note sent to MPs and seen by PoliticsHome encouraged Labour backbenchers to argue that the government "cannot simply spend our way out of this emergency", and that some criminals will be "at home with their families" this Christmas when "victims are waiting for years for justice" due to court delays caused by the Tories.
