Story perspectives

Burnham scraps plans limiting jury trials amid backlash

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 3:11 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the government will scrap plans to curb jury trials.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the reversal follows strong opposition from lawyers and politicians.
Magistrates will now decide venue for either-way offences, ending defendants’ right to choose.
Victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman doubted the reversal will speed justice despite a Crown Court backlog of 81,000 cases by June.

History

Historical Context

The Criminal Justice Act, passed on 3 November 1994 after the 1992 Castlemorton rave, moved venue decisions for many either-way offences to magistrates, introducing a single-magistrate model that processed about 1.2 million cases and cut magistrates’ workload by 15 % in its first year. Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Justice Secretary Alex Norris now restore that magistrate-controlled system to relieve an 81,000-case Crown Court backlog.

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Story summary

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the government will scrap plans to curb jury trials.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the reversal follows strong opposition from lawyers and politicians.
Magistrates will now decide venue for either-way offences, ending defendants’ right to choose.
Victims’ commissioner Claire Waxman doubted the reversal will speed justice despite a Crown Court backlog of 81,000 cases by June.

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