David Lammy will confront Labour rebels next week by pushing forward with his controversial plans to scrap some jury trials.
The Justice Secretary plans to present the Bill unchanged – despite fierce resistance from his own party.
Legal experts have so far overwhelmingly rejected the proposals, which could see up to half of all jury trials scrapped.
Criminal Bar Association leaders have suggested they might even revive the strikes which paralysed courts in 2022.
David Lammy will confront Labour rebels next week by pushing forward with his controversial plans to scrap most jury trials
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The Prime Minister has called the reforms a “fundamental argument of principle” and pledged to “do everything within my power” to end lengthy court delays for victims after “giving his word” to them.
Under the proposals, defendants likely to receive sentences below three years would face judge-only courts or magistrates rather than juries.
Mr Lammy and the PM have pointed to Britain’s Crown Court backlog hitting a record high of more than 80,000 cases.
Ministers say their reform package will begin reducing waiting times by the end of this Parliament in 2028/29.
DAVID LAMMY’S JUSTICE PLANS – READ MORE:
Sir Keir Starmer is fully backing Mr Lammy on his plans
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This week, Mr Lammy is expected to argue that the Government’s focus “is on victims who are being left to wait three, four or five years for their day in court”.
Sir Brian Leveson recommended “hybrid” intermediate courts combining a judge with two lay magistrates, but the Government has rejected this compromise approach.
Claire Waxman, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, has warned that reversing course would break an already fragile criminal justice system.
“If you row back on this, we will see a backlog of 100,000, or 125,000,” she said. “That is a public safety issue. Victims will not stay six, seven years in the justice process. The justice system will no longer function – it will collapse. It is already on the brink.”
“We can no longer cherry-pick our way out of this emergency.”
Claire Waxman has warned that reversing course would break an already fragile criminal justice system
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PABut Dame Vera Baird, Ms Waxman’s predecessor and also the interim chairman of the criminal cases review commission, has endorsed the reforms.
She claimed the jury trial changes would only be “relatively minor” – and said they would “make a difference” for victims.
Women who have suffered rape or sexual assault are currently waiting up to five years for their cases to be heard.
“Most people accused of rape are not in custody. The Crown Court has to give priority to people who are in custody. It’s rape that really suffers from this by allowing these relatively lesser offences to get into court and elect trial. You are punishing people who are victims of rape and sexual offences,” she said.