Britain Scraps Jury Curbs Plan

What happened

The outlets' own sentences, most widely reported first. Hover or tap one to see who reported it.

Analysis

How it changed

1. 3 Oct

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

   3 outlets · Evening Standard
2. 4 Oct

   Barrister Karl Turner, who had the Labour whip suspended after he criticised the plan, welcomed the decision, and thanked the Prime Minister “for his support during my campaign”.

   3 outlets · Evening Standard

Coverage 6 articles

• 4 Oct Court backlogs will still fall despite jury trials U-turn, Alex Norris saysAlex Norris, the UK Justice Secretary, announced a reversal of plans to introduce judge-only trials aimed at reducing court backlogs. This decision came after facing criticism that implementing these changes would complicate the entire reform package. Despite abandoning this part of the plan, Norris maintains that court backlogs will still decrease but declined to specify by how much. Critics argue that shifting…Evening Standard
• 4 Oct Andy Burnham scraps controversial Keir Starmer plan to axe jury trialsAndy Burnham has reversed Keir Starmer’s plan to limit jury trials for many fraud and financial cases, amid strong opposition from MPs and legal professionals concerned about fairness and rights issues. With 80,829 cases pending at the end of June, Justice Secretary Alex Norris cited public sentiment in scrapping the controversial proposal aimed at reducing court backlogs but facing criticism over its effectiveness…Evening Standard
• 4 Oct Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trialsPrime Minister Andy Burnham has scrapped plans introduced by the previous government to allow judges rather than juries to decide cases leading to sentences of less than three years, after hearing strong opposition. The Ministry of Justice proposed moving thousands of medium-level crimes back to volunteer magistrates without a jury, but Justice Secretary Alex Norris reversed this decision due to public outcry over…BBC
• 4 Oct Andy Burnham scraps controversial plans to curb jury trialsAndy Burnham has reversed the government's plans to restrict jury trials, which were introduced by his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer to address court backlogs. The Ministry of Justice now states that only certain fraud and financial cases will be heard without juries. This decision follows opposition from Labour MPs, other parties, and legal professionals who argued against the fairness of the proposals. Karl Turner…Daily Mail
• 3 Oct Controversial plan to curb jury trials scrappedAndy Burnham scrapped a plan introduced by Sir Keir Starmer to reduce jury trials in an effort to address the court backlog. Initially, only some fraud and financial cases were to be heard without juries, but now this policy has been abandoned due to public opposition. The Ministry of Justice reported 80,829 cases pending as of June's end, nearly double since 2020. Alex Norris, the current justice secretary, cited…Evening Standard
• 3 Oct Britain scraps heavily criticised plans to curb jury trials after backlashThe British government has abandoned its plan to limit jury trials for less serious criminal cases following widespread criticism from legal professionals and politicians. The decision was made by Prime Minister Andy Burnham in response to concerns raised about his predecessor's proposal, which aimed to address a growing backlog of nearly 81,000 cases awaiting trial as of June. While the move has been welcomed by…The Straits Times

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