Andy Burnham signals he will axe Labour's plan to scrap jury trials after sacking David Lammy

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 10:13 EDT, 31 July 2026 | Updated: 10:59 EDT, 31 July 2026 Andy Burnham today signalled he will axe Labour's controversial plan to curb jury trials after he sacked David Lammy as justice secretary.The Prime Minister said he had 'concerns' about the proposals and suggested he would seek 'changes' to the Government's Courts and Tribunals Bill.The proposed legislation would see jury trials in England and Wales limited to only those cases with a likely sentence of three years or more.Meanwhile, cases with a likely sentence of three years or less will only be heard by a single crown court judge, without a jury.The plans to limit jury trials were pushed by Mr Lammy as a means of tackling the huge backlog of crown court cases.But, after removing Mr Lammy from his Cabinet role when he became PM, Mr Burnham now appears free to scrap the contentious plans.'I have my concerns about the plan to restrict jury trials, partly from my personal experience, particularly Hillsborough,' the PM told reporters on Friday.'So I want to really look in detail at that proposal and my instincts are that we need to find ways of not reducing access to jury trial.' Andy Burnham has signalled he will axe Labour's controversial plan to curb jury trials after he sacked David Lammy as justice secretary The plans to limit jury trials were pushed by Mr Lammy as a means of tackling the huge backlog of crown court casesMr Burnham compared the situation to the 'pause' he has imposed on the Government's early release scheme for prisoners.'It's similar to the early release scheme,' he added. 'I want to get inside these issues before I confirm any of the plans that I inherited and, in fact, probably looking for changes.'The PM and new Justice Secretary Alex Norris are conducting an 'urgent review' of the early release policy following outrage at PC Andrew Harper's killers being freed from jail.Under the new Sentencing Act, some 6,000 criminals are due to be released under the early prison release scheme in a bid to combat jail overcrowding.But Mr Burnham has pushed back the scheme's planned start date of 2 September until his review is completed.The PM also revealed on Friday that he had asked Labour's Chief Whip Anneliese Midgley to 'agree a process' with Karl Turner for his return to the party.Mr Turner had been a vociferous critic of Mr Lammy's proposals to curb jury trials - as well as other Government plans under ex-leader Keir Starmer - and was suspended from Labour in March this year.Mr Burnham said: 'I've asked the Chief Whip to speak to Karl and, sort of, agree a process that can be taken forward.'Obviously, addressing issues that the Chief Whip will need to discuss, but that's where we are.'Prior to becoming PM, it was reported that Mr Burnham was planning to strike out sections of the Courts and Tribunals Bill that relate to scrapping jury trials.This would allow the wider Bill to continue its passage through Parliament, without the risk of it getting voted down by MPs or peers who are opposed to the changes to jury trials.Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said: 'Our courts are under immense pressure, with backlogs delaying justice for communities.'The new UK Government must move quickly to set out a comprehensive, whole-system plan to implement Sir Brian Leveson's recommendations.'This should include sustained investment in people, infrastructure and technology. Any efforts to reduce court backlogs must not come at the expense of fundamental safeguards.'Jury trials must be protected to ensure public confidence in our justice system.'