Fighting back on threat to trial by jury

Gideon Amos, MP for Taunton and Wellington, is opposing the government’s proposed reforms to the jury trial system.

The Justice Secretary, David Lammy, wants to scrap jury trials in England and Wales for crimes which carry a likely sentence of less than two years.

Serious offences including murder, robbery and rape will still go before a jury but magistrates, who deal with the majority of all criminal cases, will take on even more work.

Gideon said: “Taunton has been the scene of justice and courts for over a thousand years and trial by jury has taken place in the town for hundreds of years.

“The government's latest reforms will take away the right trial by jury for offences imprisonable for up to two years. That is a step too far for Liberals like me who believe in trial by jury as a fundamental right of English people.

“We've opposed this in Parliament and we will stand up for the right to trial by jury.”

Gideon suggested an alternative solution in the House of Commons, saying: "If every lever needs to be pulled, should not the cap on sitting days be removed? That would make a far bigger difference to the process of clearing the backlog than removing jury trials."

Gideon voted in favour of scrapping the Government's plans, but the proposal was defeated by 290 votes to 182.