Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of limiting the right to jury trial on civil liberties.

The right to a fair trial is a well-established common law principle in England and Wales to which this government remains committed. A fair trial can be achieved by alternative modes of trial and currently over 90% of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts, without a jury.

Jury trials are a cornerstone of our justice system and will remain in place for the most serious cases, however, we must consider bold action to tackle the rising backlog.

Sir Brian Leveson has published the first part of his Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, setting out a number of recommendations on the use of jury trials in the Crown Court.

The right to a fair trial is a well-established common law principle in England and Wales to which this government remains committed. A fair trial can be achieved by alternative modes of trial and currently over 90% of criminal cases are heard in the magistrates’ courts, without a jury.

We are carefully considering Sir Brian’s proposals before setting out the Government’s full response in the autumn.