Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trials
The UK government has scrapped plans to curb jury trials as part of a strategy to reduce the massive court backlog. Justice Secretary Alex Norris stated that while the backlog will fall over the next decade, the government will focus on other reforms instead of removing the right to a jury trial.
Why it matters
This decision preserves a fundamental pillar of the British legal system while acknowledging the urgent need to address record-high court delays.
Figure caption, Justice secretary vows courts backlog will reduce
The courts backlog will still fall despite plans to curb jury trials being scrapped, the justice secretary has told the BBC.
Alex Norris said introducing legislation for judge-only trials "was always going to be the most complicated to implement" and would have slowed down reforms.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham's decision abandons proposals introduced by Sir Keir Starmer's government to allow judges in England and Wales to make the sole decision on cases that would lead to a sentence of less than three years.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said only complex fraud and financial offences would be judge-only - and it proposes thousands of medium-level crimes should stay with volunteer magistrates, who sit without a jury.
Norris told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg the backlog would start falling "in this Parliament", but would not say by how much.
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