Jury reforms: Lib Dems call to double up trials to slash the court backlog

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The Liberal Democrats are calling for a major shakeup to the court system, to bring down the backlog instead of the Government’s plan to scrap vital jury trials.

Liberal Democrats have written to the Justice Secretary David Lammy, to express grave concerns about plans to slash jury trials, and put forward the Party’s proposals to cut the spiralling backlog.

The reforms would see two trials a day in select Crown Court courtrooms across England and Wales rather than one. This would mean one in the morning and one in the afternoon, to replace the single session currently held in the middle of the day. This simple change will nearly double court sitting time in participating courtrooms, whilst giving legal professionals more protected time for preparation each day.

These changes would be backed by a wider package of reforms to tackle inefficiency, including renegotiating failing private contracts to ensure defendants are delivered to court on time. The Liberal Democrats would also cancel planned real-terms cuts to the Ministry of Justice capital budget, so that flooding, disrepair and unsafe buildings do not prevent cases from being heard.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Justice Spokesperson Jess Brown-Fuller MP said:

“David Lammy’s plans to slash jury trials are an insult to victims left waiting for justice and will do nothing to tackle the spiralling backlog. Jury trials are a cornerstone of our justice system and a fundamental safeguard of fairness and liberty.

“After years of Conservative mismanagement, the courts need serious, evidence-based reform that will fix the broken system, rather than headline-grabbing shortcuts.

“That’s why Liberal Democrats are calling for courts to double their sitting hours, along with a raft of reforms that will help to get the backlog under control and deliver justice once more.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Letter from Jess Brown-Fuller MP to David Lammy here.