The announcement by the Justice Secretary in the Autumn of 2025 that he intends to remove the automatic right to appeal a conviction and sentence from the Magistrates Court, and to elect jury trial for eitherway offences, has been well published and commented on. The genuine concerns about the removal of the statutory rights of […]
In 2017 David Lammy the then Labour MP and criminal defence barrister, conducted a report in to injustice and prejudice in the criminal justice system. In his review into ‘prejudice in the criminal justice system’, David Lammy highlighted that juries “act as a filter for prejudice and are essential for maintaining public confidence”. In June
Publicity Gimmick or A True Justice Secretary? Read More »
The government did not have a digital disaster recovery plan in place for the Legal Aid Agency despite knowing since 2021 that the agency’s IT systems were vulnerable to attack, it has emerged. The agency’s systems were hacked on 31 December 2024, with the cyber attack detected during routine checks in April. The system was
Minister admits LAA had no digital disaster recovery plan Read More »
David Lammy plans to cut the number of jury trials in England and Wales. A defendant, a victim, a barrister, a KC, a judge and a juror have concerns. ‘A move towards an authoritarian state’: what those with trial experience think of removing juries David Lammy plans to cut the number of jury trials in
A senior Labour MP has issued a plea to Justice Secretary David Lammy to scrap “stupid” plans to reduce the number of jury trials in England and Wales to cut court backlogs. Karl Turner told the BBC: “It’s undemocratic. It is not about reducing the backlog. It is untruthful to say that it is. David
Labour MP issues plea to Lammy to scrap ‘stupid’ jury trial plan Read More »
The government is set to announce plans to restrict the right to a jury trial in England and Wales in an attempt to turn around unprecedented backlogs and delays in justice. David Lammy, the deputy prime minister and justice secretary, will lay out the proposals in Parliament later on Tuesday. But he has insisted that
Jury trial reforms set to be announced Read More »
When Labour came in to power on 05 July 2024, they vowed to clear the backlog in the criminal Courts that under the Conservatives had grown to a record level. In December 2024 the Government announced a ‘once in a life time’ review of the Criminal Courts with the intention of clearing the backlog. That
Justice Delayed – Justice Denied. Longer Waits on the Way? Read More »
The government is considering a major overhaul of the prison system, where prisoners may need to earn their freedom through “good behaviour credits” rather than being automatically released after a set period. This approach follows a similar scheme in Texas, where prisoners can reduce the length of their sentences by earning credits for good behaviour
Prisoners in England and Wales could earn early release under Texas-style shake up Read More »
Police were unprepared for the scale of disorder that broke out in part of the UK following the Southport knife attacks, a police watchdog has found. Police intelligence did not predict the “rising tide of violent disorder well enough”, according to the review of their response to the worst UK unrest in more than a
Watchdog says police unprepared for scale of riots Read More »
In a very recent post to the social media account, the under fire Prime Minister Mr Keir Starmer announced “Spiking will be made a criminal offence. My Government was elected to take back our streets. Central to this mission is making sure woman and girls can feel safe at night. Perpetrators of spoking will feel
Keir Announces Plans For ‘New’ Crime of Drink Spiking Read More »
