Longer sentences for Southport rioters expose how politically biased our judges are – that’s why David Lammy’s plan to scrap juries is idiotic, SARAH VINE tells PETER HITCHENS on new Daily Mail podcast

Columnists Sarah Vine and Peter Hitchens blasted David Lammy’s leaked plans to scrap juries to clear court backlogs in the latest episode of the Alas Vine & Hitchens podcast.

A memo written by the Justice Secretary was leaked to The Times this week; here Lammy argued that there should be ‘no right’ to a jury trial in the UK.

Lammy said juries should be reserved for only the most serious cases, such as murder, manslaughter and rape.

The move comes as the justice system grapples with a record backlog of nearly 80,000 cases, with some hearings scheduled for as late as 2029.

While Vine acknowledged the backlog needed to be addressed, he told the Daily Mail podcast that scrapping juries would leave people vulnerable to ‘politicised’ judges.

‘Look at the Southport riots,’ Vine said.

Admitting the backlog of cases needed to be addressed, Vine told the Daily Mail podcast that scrapping juries would leave people vulnerable to ‘politicised’ judges

‘There was a definite bias towards longer sentences for those involved in the Southport riots, compared to subsequent worsening demonstrations.

‘It was probably the case that the judges sided with the government when making their decisions.

‘My concern is that if we eliminate jury service, there will be no buffer between politicized judges and the public.’

Under the plans, up to 75 per cent of Crown Court defendants will lose their right to a jury trial and only defendants sentenced to more than five years will retain the protection.

Hitchens was equally critical of Lammy’s proposals, arguing that the failure of successive governments to fund the criminal justice system had caused a backlog crisis.

He said Lammy should not punish the country for the government acting like a ‘joker’.

‘Why should our constitution suffer because governments screw up the criminal justice system?’ Hitchens asked.

‘If there is a huge backlog it is the government’s fault for pursuing stupid crime policies.

‘This Labor government seems full of people with lots of bad ideas. These bad ideas slowly emerge as time goes by. They didn’t put any of this in the manifesto that people voted for.

Hitchens was equally critical of Lammy’s proposals, arguing that successive governments’ failure to fund the criminal justice system had caused a backlog crisis.

The leaked memo was described by senior lawyers as ‘the biggest attack on our system of freedom in the last 800 years’.

‘I worry that few people care about this. People think criminal justice only concerns those who deserve to go to trial. ‘It doesn’t even occur to them that they can go there themselves.’

The leaked memo was described by senior lawyers as ‘the biggest attack on our system of freedom in the last 800 years’.

Criminal Bar Association president Riel Karmy-Jones KC said the plans ‘smell like a coordinated campaign against public justice’, while the Law Society described them as an ‘extreme measure’ that ‘goes too far’.

Hitchens accused Lammy of being ‘attacked’ by the Treasury in a move driven by cost-cutting rather than justice.

‘We must rebuild a criminal justice system that has been horribly underfunded for many years,’ the author said.

‘Justice is expensive but vital. ‘A society without justice is a society not worth living.’

To hear the full debate and columnists’ outrage over the NHS’s decision to restart giving puberty blockers to children, call Alas Vine & Hitchens now wherever you get your podcasts.