The CLSA is opposed to any restrictions on the right to a jury trial and endorses the joint statement below.
We, the undersigned representative groups of criminal practitioners in England and Wales, are united in our rejection of David Lammy MP’s proposals to curtail the right to jury trial and the automatic right to appeal from the magistrates’ court to the crown court.
These are fundamental rights that stand to be stripped from the public. As practitioners in the field, it is our duty to sound the alarm and, with the support of the general public, resist these plans.
We call on the other representative organisations which make up the criminal justice sector to join us in our united opposition.
The speed with which the government is seeking to advance these reforms requires a swift response. We will soon be calling a day of action to protest the proposals outside the Old Bailey and coordinating our members to take further measures to challenge the reforms.
Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association
London Criminal Courts Solicitor’s Association
Criminal Bar Association
We anticipate that draft legislation to curtail jury trials will be announced very soon, so we need to send a strong message to the Government, asking them to rethink the approach.
Please read the open letter prepared by the Bar Council and we encourage members to add their signature using the online form (link below).
Open letter to the Prime Minister
Katy Hanson, Chair, CLSA