UK

The end of jury trials? Lammy's Crown Court reforms

What happened

Sir Brian Leveson's Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (Part 1, July 2025) proposed new ways of trying cases to cut the Crown Court backlog. On 2 December 2025 the Ministry of Justice announced that many cases in England and Wales likely to get a sentence of three years or less would be heard without a jury. The Courts and Tribunals Bill now before Parliament carries the changes.

Written from the official records below. Links checked 08 Nov 2026.

Official record

• Independent Review of the Criminal Courts: Part 1
  Ministry of Justice (Sir Brian Leveson) · published 09 Jul 2025
• Independent Review of the Criminal Courts: Part 2
  Ministry of Justice (Sir Brian Leveson) · published 04 Feb 2026
• 'Swift and fair' plan to get justice for victims
  Ministry of Justice · published 02 Dec 2025
• Written statement HCWS1123 — criminal courts reform
  UK Parliament · published 02 Dec 2025
• Courts and Tribunals Bill — bill stages and documents
  UK Parliament
• Courts and Tribunals Bill 2024-26 (research briefing CBP-10515)
  House of Commons Library · published 06 Mar 2026
• Government Response to the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts
  Ministry of Justice · published 12 Oct 2026

Main headlines

News — not an official source. Titles shown word for word.

• Lawyers protest outside Parliament against plans to scrap the right to a jury trial
  Morning Star · 13 Oct 2026
• Jury restriction plan clears first hurdle despite Labour dissent
  BBC News · 10 Mar 2026
• Jury trials scrapped for crimes with sentences of less than three years
  BBC News · 02 Dec 2025
• Jury trials will be scrapped for defendants facing sentences of three years or less, David Lammy announces
  Sky News · 02 Dec 2025

Videos on YouTube

Opens on YouTube. Broadcaster videos are news, not an official source.