Oral Answers to Questions

Gareth Bacon Excerpts

Thursday 5th February 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Solicitor General]

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his comments on the victims’ right to review scheme, which will give victims of rape and serious sexual violence a greater voice in the justice system. Too often, victims feel let down by a system that is supposed to be there to support them. I will ensure that I speak to my colleagues in the Northern Ireland Office to see what more can be done in respect of Northern Ireland.

[Gareth Bacon (Orpington) (Con)]

4. What advice she has given the Government on the potential impact of removing jury trials on the rule of law.

[James Wild (North West Norfolk) (Con)]

8. What advice she has given the Government on the potential impact of removing jury trials on the rule of law.

[The Solicitor General]

In December, the Deputy Prime Minister set out the measures that this Government are taking to tackle the crisis in our courts. As I have stated in the House previously, jury trials will remain the cornerstone of our justice system, but reform and investment are needed to cut through the backlog, which is approaching 80,000 cases. Some 90% of criminal prosecutions are already dealt with by magistrates rather than juries, and juries will remain for the most serious cases.

[Gareth Bacon]

The president of the Law Society has described the proposals as

“an extreme measure that goes too far”.

The chair of the Criminal Bar Association has described them as

“a wrecking ball to a system that is fundamentally sound and has been in place for generations”.

He pointed out that the juries are not the cause of the backlogs. The Government’s own Back-Bench MPs have described the proposals as a “dereliction of duty”,

“a ludicrous proposal that will not work”,

and

“a fundamental change to how our criminal justice system operates”,

which “goes too far” and the consequence of which would be

“to destroy justice as we know it.”

Why do the Government think that they are all wrong?

[The Solicitor General]

In his report, Sir Brian Leveson estimated that introducing these reforms would lead to a 20% time saving. At the moment, we have a situation in which victims of rape are waiting three or sometimes four years for their cases to get to court. Investment in the system is also important, which is why we have the maximum number of sitting days that we have ever seen, investment in criminal defence lawyers, and investment in our courtrooms. Leveson made it clear that investment alone will not tackle the huge backlogs.