Two Labour ministers are “ready to quit” over David Lammy’s plans to scrap jury trials, it is understood.
The Justice Secretary has faced backlash from lawyers and MPs over plans to drop jury trials for offences with a likely prison sentence of three years or less.
It is now understood a rebellion is brewing among ministers, as two are said to be “ready” to resign rather than back the reforms, The Telegraph reports.
Among those who have expressed disapproval of the plans is Labour MP Karl Tuner, who has said he is prepared to quit the Commons to force a by-election to make his “principled point”.
The ex-criminal barrister broke the whip for the first time since becoming an MP in 2010 to side with the Tories in a protest against the plans.
He told Sir Keir Starmer, a former director of public prosecutions, that he “ought to be ashamed of himself”.
If the Hull East MP was to trigger a by-election, his seat could fall to Reform.
Mr Tuner won his seat with a majority of 3,920 over Nigel Farage’s party in 2024.
Labour has faced backlash from MPs and lawyers over the plans
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GETTYHe has this week said he is “completely ashamed” of Mr Lammy over the jury trials plan.
“Lammy is the Justice Secretary who’s fallen for the civil servants’ trick,” Mr Tuner told Times Radio.
“Every single justice secretary for the last two decades has been asked by officials to do away with some jury trials, but David Lammy is the fool who fell for the trick.”
Under Labour’s plans, alongside scrapping jury trials for defendants facing three years or less behind bars, the ability to appeal a magistrates’ court verdict to a crown court will also be limited.
Labour MP Karl Turner has expressed his disapproval of the plans
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PAMr Lammy has argued the reforms would help cut the crown court backlog in England and Wales, which has risen to around 80,000 cases.
The Deputy Prime Minister, who visited Toronto to see the Canadian system of judge-only trials, said he was willing to listen to concerns from MPs and lawyers who have called for a “sunset clause” to make the restriction on jury trials a temporary measure.
But he told The Guardian: “I do think reform is necessary if we want to save the criminal justice system and make it fit for purpose.”
If the reforms are passed, Mr Lammy said: “I’d like to see the backlog coming down by 2029 and the next general election.”
Barristers from across the UK and Ireland have said they are “deeply concerned” by the plans, describing it as “a fundamental cornerstone of the criminal justice system”.
The “Four Bars”, the bodies representing barristers across Britain and the Republic of Ireland, previously said there was “no evidence that this fundamental change will bring down the existing crown court backlog”.
“The proposal also goes further than Sir Brian Leveson’s recommendation, which itself has not been piloted nor thoroughly modelled,” they said.
“Importantly, he alerts the Ministry of Justice to the desirability of further detailed analysis before implementation.”
They concluded: “The Four Bars stand as one in opposition to this proposal. Legislation is still some time away – the Government has time to listen to the views we express and to change course.”