David Lammy’s proposal for judge-only criminal trials in England and Wales may save less than 2% of crown court time, according to the Institute for Government (IFG). The IFG report suggests that while jury trials could decrease by 50%, the overall reduction in court time would be only 7% to 10%. Cassia Rowland, author of the report, said: “The Government’s proposed reforms to jury trials will not fix the problems in the crown court.” The report also highlighted that improving productivity in the courts would be a more effective solution. Meanwhile, Karl Turner, the Labour MP and former barrister, said the Justice Secretary’s proposals were “finished” and warned that if “Lammy doesn’t stop digging he deserves to be kicked out of government.”
