Lammy’s jury reforms face an uphill battle

If you speak to Labour MPs about looming battles in the new year, most are quick to mention the elections in May. But an almighty scrap is shaping up beforehand over David Lammy’s bid to strip back jury trials. There is deep unease about the Justice Secretary’s plan, with dozens of MPs expected to publicly criticise the proposals. Angela Rayner – regarded by some within the party as the queen over the water – is believed to share such concerns. She has reportedly told allies that there are serious unanswered questions about access to justice and whether restricting juries would really cut the court backlog of 80,000 outstanding cases.

Public opinion is against Lammy’s reforms, according to Opinium polling for The Spectator . Some 37 per cent oppose the proposed changes while 29 per ce