Chair’s Easter Message
Let there be absolutely NO doubt: the Criminal Bar Association is fundamentally opposed to the proposed restrictions on the right to jury trial.
As indicated in the Bulletin on the 23rd of March, there was no Monday Message this week, and there will not be one this coming Monday. However, whilst I am sure that everyone who reads this message will already be aware of much of our work, I just wanted to keep all informed of progress on the Courts and Tribunals Bill, and what I, and the officers of the CBA have been doing on your behalf.
Courts and Tribunals Bill
Our battle is in Parliament, and therefore it is to that that a large amount of our energy has been directed.
In summary: the Courts and Tribunals Bill has passed through its second reading and is now going through the Parliamentary stages.
The Parliamentary Bill Committee has convened and has already heard a wide range of evidence and views on the Bill. You will have seen that on the 25th of March, I gave evidence, alongside Kirsty Brimelow KC, Chair of the Bar Council, Claire Davies KC, Leader of the South Eastern Circuit, Caroline Goodwin KC, leader of the North Eastern Circuit, and Samantha Hillias KC, leader of the Northern Circuit. The picture below may not be the best of any of us, but it clearly captures our moods – we were, and are, a formidable team.
The proceedings can be watched here: Parliamentlive.tv – Courts and Tribunals Bill and the transcript can be found here: Courts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting) – Hansard – UK Parliament
We are currently working together on follow up submissions to the Committee to supplement the oral evidence that we gave.
Parliament is now in recess and doesn’t reconvene until the 13th of April. The Bill will have it’s line by line reading with full scrutiny on the 14th of April. We expect that it will thereafter progress to the House of Lords.
Throughout this process we have continued to engage directly and online with the Government, MP’s, Members of the House of Lords, the Bar Council, Circuit Leaders, solicitors’ and other justice stakeholders. Our press and media campaign has been unprecedented. The numerous quotes from our submissions in the debate, together with the words used in questions asked during the evidence gathering session before the Committee makes it clear that we are being listened to, and we are influencing views.
We thank all the CBA members who have offered up their valuable time to assist with our work, and in particular those across the Circuits who have continued to put themselves forward to represent us in the press, on social media, on television, and on the radio. We thank those who have written letters, signed letters, and given evidence. People like Flora Page KC, Keir Monteith KC, HH Chris Kinch KC, HH Geoffrey Rivlin KC, and everyone who has stepped up and worked with us for the benefit of the criminal bar. As a result of our combined efforts, we have had prime spots on key stations from the BBC and ITV to LBC and Times Radio, and press coverage in all the national papers.
We are grateful to CBA members, the Bar Council, and Circuit Leaders for their efforts, particularly in helping to orchestrate the MPs Come to Court Day, and the days that have followed since – and to all of you who wrote to your MP’s, have had meetings with them, and hosted them on such a visit. Feedback from MP’s has confirmed what a difference this has made, and it has been noted that is a direct correlation between those MP’s who attended the Court day, and those who abstained or voted against the Bill.
Other CBA work
It goes without saying that our other work continues alongside our work on the Bill. We set out all we are doing in the Monday Message on 16th of March – but as a reminder you can find it here
In addition to that, we have in the last 10 days had:
- meetings with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to discuss progress being made in respect of CLAAB fees and the distribution of the Government’s promised £34 million (£28 million plus VAT);
- met with the MoJ in respect of Defence Access to Forensics, and the Home Office Proposals for reform – for which thanks go to Keir Monteith KC (Garden Court Chambers), Colin Aylott KC (Mountford Chambers), and Hugh French (Red Lion Chambers) who gave their time to contribute to this and provide a clear defence perspective;
- meetings with the senior judiciary to discuss the way forward in respect of:
- Better Case Management, which includes early stages of police investigation, CPS engagement on cases, Defence engagement, practical issues around disclosure, case files, digital systems, case management protocols etc.
- Sir Brian Leveson’s proposals in respect of the use of AI,
- Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Cases, and
- the criminal bar’s concerns on listings.
As a result, we have achieved the unique position of being given a place on all the relevant working groups, something that has never been done before. This will ensure that the criminal bar, and particularly the junior bar, will have a voice in any decisions made, and a proper opportunity to air our concerns and argue our position on all these important topics;
- We have also agreed that the senior judiciary will hold a round table event with representatives of the junior bar, their concerns and views may be discussed and considered;
- Given the success of the last MP Court Day, an additional one is now being planned with the Circuit Leaders and the Bar Council. The likely date is 22nd of May, but individuals continue to make their own arrangements for other days. Further details will be coming soon;
- A new “write to Your MP” template letter is being worked on with the Bar Council and Circuit Leaders – this will be circulated soon;
- We are seeking to set up Information stalls to better engage the public, one such is taking place in Leeds on 25th April, and we hope more will follow;
- Andrew and I will be arranging visits to Courts across the circuits to meet with the local bar to discuss your views on what is happening, and what else we can do about the Bill, and other issues.
All the above only touches the surface of much more that is going on behind the scenes, but it is important that members understand what we are doing for you to ensure the current system of jury trial, and our profession, is preserved.
Media
There has been a wide range of engagement with the media. What is set out below is only a few of the key articles:
Women ‘at greater risk of domestic violence’ if Lammy curbs jury trials
Law Society chief also warns that Labour’s reforms would lead to longer delays in magistrates’ courts
Lammy exploiting rape victims’ pain to push through jury-free trials, says leading barrister;
Post Office scandal lawyer accuses Labour Government of damaging rule of law
- 29 March 2026 – The Sunday Express – NCA report, comment by CBA Vice Chair Andrew Thomas KC
Huge new crime crisis erupts as even the most dangerous offenders could get off free. The National Crime Agency, in a startling assessment, warned that gangsters will use new technologies to discredit judges, jurors and witnesses.
“These risks must be taken seriously. The government needs to wake up to the scale of the problem and co-ordinate action to protect the rule of law in this country. The NCA’S assessment is deeply concerning…. We have seen orchestrated attacks on social media on criminal barristers who are simply doing their job by defending people accused of serious crimes. Equally, we have seen prosecuting barristers targeted with threats of violence for prosecuting serious organised crime.…. We have even seen NCA officers attacked for doing the important job of bringing serious criminals to justice.”
For Kinch, he fears judges will be put in danger if handed the onus of determining the guilty verdict, while he believes the chances of wrongful conviction grows as the choice drops from resting on the shoulders of 12 strangers to one judge…. “And the potential loss of confidence when you have one judge making a decision instead of 12 members of the community – who are completely independent, chosen at random and come in what for me has always been the essence of democratic involvement in the criminal courts.”
- 17 March 2026 – House of Commons, Justice Select Committee – Evidence given by:
- Richard Atkinson, Former President at The Law Society of England and Wales
- Keir Monteith KC, Garden Court Chambers
- Tom Guest, Deputy Director of Legal Policy at Crown Prosecution Service
Can be watched here: Parliamentlive.tv – Justice Committee
And the Transcript can be found here: Oral evidence – 17 Mar 2026
Cutting jury trials risks ‘undermining justice’ for abused women and girls, Lammy warned
In letter to justice secretary, groups say judge-led decisions more likely to be influenced by bias than those made by 12 random people
Thirty organisations representing victims of violence against women and girls (VAWG) have written to the justice secretary, David Lammy, urging him to drop plans to significantly reduce the number of jury trials.
The groups said that the proposals, which will affect court cases in England and Wales, will deepen mistrust in the justice system among victims and distract from measures designed to reduce offending.
The Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the Hill, fears ‘physical threats’ under government proposals and calls security a ‘lowlight’ of her tenure
Slashing access to jury trials could put judges in danger of physical threats from criminals, the lady chief justice has warned.
Commenting on the proposals — which would amount to the most radical shake-up of the criminal justice system for several hundred years — Carr said that she had made it “plain” to ministers that “I have grave security concerns if there are going to be judge-alone trials”.
And: Jury’s out on whether legal eagles or politicians can save courts
Carr noted that handing down verdicts in criminal trials would be a “very different environment” for crown court judges to be working in”, adding that they “usually sit in one main centre, so they’re going in and out of one centre on a daily basis, rather than, for example, High Court judges who’ll be sitting all around the country in England and Wales”.
The random selection of jurors from local communities ensures that they are far more likely to reflect the cultural heritage of people appearing in court, says Nic Madge
Curtailing the right to jury trial will have a minimal effect on the backlog.
Jury trials are not the cause of the backlog. Furthermore, the government’s proposals will disproportionately impact Black complainants, witnesses and defendants.
The random selection of jurors from local communities ensures that they are far more likely to reflect the cultural heritage of people appearing in court.
Contributed to by Keir Monteith KC; Jason Lartey, president, London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association (LCCSA); Nneka Akudolu KC; Garry Green KC; Shina Animashaun; Letitia Duffus; Michael Etienne; Miranda Grell; Leon-Nathan Lynch; Danielle Manson; Thalia Maragh; Mark Robinson, and more.
- 16 March 2026 – The Times – HH Gary Burrell KC writes to the Times
- 12 March 2026 – Flora Page KC’sresignation letter published, triggering the article “Postmaster’ lawyer quits over David Lammy’s ‘tyrannical jury reforms”
- 8/9 March 2026 – Senior retired judges, CBA, Bar Council and Circuit leaders, letter to the Times
Triggering the article: Lammy’s jury reform plans are unworkable, lawyers warn
Senior legal figures have written to The Times as the justice secretary tries to quell a burgeoning backbench rebellion
Senior retired judges have joined leading barristers in opposing the removal of the right to trial by jury in thousands of cases as the government faces a backbench rebellion.
David Lammy, the justice secretary, has asked to meet the architect of a Commons revolt in a last-ditch attempt to quell dissent among Labour MPs.
In a letter to The Times, senior judicial figures and lawyers warned that the plans were unworkable and suggested that politicians lacked trust in members of the public.
This followed by 3,236 legal professionals, including more than 300 KCs and 22 retired judges signing a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urging the government against “draining valuable time and resources” by “attempting to force through an unpopular, untested and poorly evidenced change to our jury system”.
Open letter to the Prime Minister
What Can You Do to Help?
Please keep reading these messages and look out for our calls to:
- Write to your MP, and the revised updated template which we are working on with the Bar Council;
- Take your MP to Court;
- Man an information stall to ensure the public are informed of the potential impact of the loss of their right to trial by jury;
- Attend an event in Parliament to meet MPs.
We are always interested in hearing how you feel, receiving your views, ideas and suggestions, and in what you can offer by way of assistance. We need good lawyers with experience of legislative drafting – if you have such experience, please let us know and offer your skills to assist. Email us via our CBA secretary Matilda Robinson-Murphy here: [email protected].
Finally – from all the officers at the CBA, may I wish you all, whatever your faith, a very good and restful Easter break.
Yours,
Riel Karmy-Jones KC
Chair
The Criminal Bar Association