DAVID Lammy says he will press ahead with controversial plans to end the right to jury trial — despite a huge outcry.
New details of the Justice Secretary’s attempt to cut a massive backlog of court cases emerged last night.
All criminal cases where the suspect could be handed up to five years’ jail will be decided by a judge alone.
Only the most serious cases, such as murder and rape, will go before a jury.
Mr Lammy said the reforms will give “brave survivors the justice they deserve”.
He said: “We inherited a courts emergency — a justice system pushed to the brink.
“Behind every one of thousands of cases waiting to go to trial is a human life put on hold.
“For many victims, justice delayed is justice denied.”
Almost 80,000 cases are in the backlog built up due to “Covid and underfunding”.
Some trials are now being listed five years in the future — with delays seeing more victims drop out of the system.
An independent review earlier this year by retired judge Sir Brian Leveson stated that increasing capacity to a level which would reduce the backlog would cost billions of pounds.
Judge-only trials are seen as being faster — and cheaper.
But shadow justice minister Kieran Mullan said: “Abandoning the right to be tried by your peers is one of the worst plans this shambolic Government has come up with.
“Instead of trying to ditch that 800-year-old right, Lammy should focus on getting the court backlog down.”
