UK Lord Chancellor Admits that Government is Considering Limiting the Rights to Trial by Jury

THE Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary in the British Parliament, Robert Buckland MP has appeared before the justice select committee and confirmed that the government is considering reducing the right of individuals to trial by jury.

He has used the argument that there is such a backlog of cases due to the closure of courts by the Covid-19 pandemic that in order to resolve the situation a trial should be heard by a judge and two magistrates who would then decide on the defendant’s guilt.

According to the Labour List publication, the number of untried cases in Crown Courts prior to the pandemic was 39,000 and now three months later it stands at 41,000, hardly a major cause for worry especially as there are said to be 400,000 magistrates court hearings outstanding.