This week, Dr Neil Hudson, Member of Parliament for Epping Forest, voted against Labour’s plans to abolish people’s right to a trial by jury with his Conservative Parliamentary colleagues, in a Conservative-led Commons Debate on the matter.
In recent weeks, the Justice Secretary David Lammy announced plans to abolish jury trials for those likely to receive a sentence of three years or less, overturning an over 800-year principle established by the Magna Carta. This is despite the fact both he and the Prime Minister have in the past defended the right to jury trial, and scrapping jury trials has also been strongly opposed by leading Judicial figures and bodies including the President of the Law Society of England and Wales and the Bar Council.
Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch and Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick have resolutely opposed Labour’s plans since they were announced, writing to the Justice Secretary on the 26th November, calling on the Government to answer the problem of a court case backlog by using sitting days that are currently going unused (around 2000 currently), and to recruit and retain more judges.
The Conservatives therefore used their Opposition Day Debate to force this matter to a vote, to once again call on the Justice Secretary to scrap these plans and protect this historic right, which Dr Hudson supported. The Conservatives will continue to hold the Government to account on this matter.
You can make your opposition to Labour’s plans heard on this matter at keepjurytrials.com
In the Commons, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said:
“The Government propose to abolish the right to trial by jury for a vast range of offences and for any case where they expect a sentence of three years or less. This is nothing less than wielding a constitutional axe against a centuries-old cornerstone of our liberty.
We are talking about 800 years of legal tradition. Let us not toss it aside; let us defend it, because it matters, and then let us unite and find a way to fix the bureaucratic failures of the Ministry of Justice to ensure that we have swift justice. Justice delayed is justice denied; we all agree on that. We can do this without ruining a gift that this country has given the world, and a fundamental part of our constitution and our democracy.”
Following the Commons vote, Dr Hudson commented:
“The principle of the right to a jury trial dates back over 800 years in our country, all the way back to the Magna Carta.
It is absolutely shameful that Labour are voting to take this away, and that it is being pursued by a Justice Secretary who himself opposed abolishing jury trials in the past.
There are other ways to tackle the court backlogs that do not involve ripping up the principles underpinning our justice system.
We Conservatives will do all that we can to get Labour to reverse this retrograde policy. ”
