Jurors: Mental Health Impact

Lord West of Spithead Excerpts

Tuesday 28th March 2023 Lords Chamber

[Lord Bellamy (Con)]

Would it be offered to jurors who served on a jury in relation to the late Prime Minister? I do not think I can answer that question.

[Lord West of Spithead (Lab)]

My Lords, many horrible things happen in life and have done so for decades and decades. Does the Minister believe that we need to think that people need to be a little more robust? I certainly found in the Navy when things had happened that if you asked people whether they had been affected, they would tell you they had been affected, but if you did not ask them, they just got on with their job.

[Lord Bellamy (Con)]

My Lords, it is unusual to have so many opportunities to agree with noble Lords opposite. I entirely agree with the noble Lord, Lord West. Although we have had a moment of levity in this Question, I respectfully remind your Lordships of what the late Lord Devlin famously said:

“Trial by jury is … the lamp that shows that freedom lives”.


The Government entirely agree with that and will support juries as much as is needed.