Dr Neil Shastri-Hurst MP has challenged the Government over its plans to curtail jury trials, warning ministers risk placing even greater pressure on the magistrates system without first recruiting the personnel needed to cope with the additional workload.
Questioning the Lord Chancellor, David Lammy, in the House of Commons, Dr Shastri-Hurst asked whether the Government would pause its proposals until sufficient numbers of magistrates had been recruited. The Lord Chancellor’s response indicated the Government would not.
Dr Shastri-Hurst said afterwards:
“I fundamentally disagree with the Government’s decision to curtail jury trials. There is still no hard evidence to suggest juries themselves are the primary cause of delays in our justice system.
“But if ministers are serious about pursuing this policy, it raises an obvious question: why would they not first recruit the significant number of magistrates needed to deal with the extra pressure these proposals would create?
“Our magistrates already play a vital role in delivering local justice. Overwhelming them further without proper preparation risks making delays even worse, not better.”
