David Lammy humiliated as Labour minister contradicts him on key policy | Politics | News

Labour’s plan to scrap jury trials turned into further farce after a minister contradicted David Lammy over key details.

The Justice Secretary has been accused of being “ignorant about his own proposals” after Courts Minister Sarah Sackman admitted they would apply retroactively.

This means thousands of people already accused of a crime could lose their right to a jury trial.

Ms Sackman told a group of MPs “it’s something we need to look at”, despite Mr Lammy having previously ruled out the possibility.

Conservative MP Sir Ashley Fox disagreed and asked: “So when the Chancellor said it wouldn’t be retroactive that wasn’t entirely the right answer?”

Trying to defend the Deputy Prime Minister, Sackman said: “I think his answer was in the context of a question about detention hearings.”

Sir Ashley then hit back: “No, he said the changes would not be retroactive. Because someone has now chosen to go to the Crown Court, that is on the assumption that there will be a trial by jury. “You say, might that not be the case?

“Can you be referred to Quick Court?”

Ms. Sackman admitted: “That’s true.”

“This is the mechanism for tracking what is needed,” he added.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: “David Lammy has once again shown his ignorance of his own proposals. “It is now clear that he blatantly misled the public and that his plan to cut jury trials is far more harmful than originally thought.

“These proposals are doomed. Lammy will not succeed because his plans destroy a fundamental freedom and do next to nothing to reduce the court backlog. Another U-turn from this chaotic Labor Government is inevitable.”

It came just days after Ms Sackman admitted jury trials would be canceled even if there were no backlog crisis at the Crown Court.

Ms Sackman claimed criminals were gaming the system by pleading “not guilty” because they knew it would take years for the case to go to trial.

And he sparked outrage by claiming that shoplifting cases were delaying rape cases.

Under Labour’s new plan, half of jury trials will be cancelled.

Some sexual assault, theft, drug dealing and robbery cases will be heard by a single judge.

The Justice Department will eliminate defendants’ right to “choose” a jury trial for so-called “both crimes.”

Magistrates will consider a case and if the case is “likely” to result in a prison sentence of three years or less, the case will be heard by either a magistrate or the new Crown Court Bench Division.

Labor is said to be considering another U-turn as justice chiefs consider adding judges to the new Swift Courts.

This was first suggested by former High Court judge Sir Brian Leveson, but was ignored by Mr Lammy, who preferred the tougher option.

Ministers have warned that the backlog could rise to 100,000 by 2028 if nothing is done, with a growing number of victims giving up on seeking justice due to long delays.

Justice chiefs will “create faster pathways for lower-level cases, as in Canada”.

Suspected criminals in Canada can only request a jury trial if they face a prison sentence of five years or more.

More than a quarter of cases at the Crown Court have been open for a year or more, and almost half of these involve violent and sexual offences.

“This has been happening in Canada for decades. It’s very normal. In this jurisdiction, defendants often prefer to be in front of a single judge rather than a jury,” he told the Guardian.