David Lammy this afternoon sets out his plans in parliament to drastically reduce the use of jury trials in England and Wales. With the backlog of cases due to be heard in courts already at 78,000, and heading for 100,000, the Justice Secretary believes that only radical solutions can tackle the ‘courts emergency’. He proposes that ‘either way’ offences – where defendants currently can choose between a magistrate or a jury in a crown court – be heard by judges sitting alone. It is not yet clear which offences will be covered by these changes. Leaked proposals to abolish juries for all cases, except those involving alleged rapists and killers, sparked a huge backlash last week.

Lammy believes his plans are proportionate, given the scale of the problem

Lammy is depicting himself as the her

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