According to Labour MP Karl Turner, lawyers from the Society of Labour Lawyers (SLL) were prevented from briefing Labour MPs about their opposition to the government's Courts and Tribunals Bill. The bill, set for a vote on Tuesday, would remove the right to a jury trial in thousands of cases, with trials instead heard by judges and magistrates. Justice Secretary David Lammy announced the plans last December.
' As many as 65 Labour MPs were considering voting against the bill before Monday's second reading, and a significant number could abstain or vote against it at a later stage. The government has faced discontent from its own ranks, including from 38 MPs who signed a letter urging the prime minister to reverse the plans. ' She argued, 'A person walking into a courtroom wants to know the people listening to you are like you.
The policy position of the SLL is that these measures are a terrible mistake, are unworkable and must be stopped but they have been blocked from sharing that position with Labour MPs in a briefing of the sort which one would expect it to be able to make.
' The national backlog in crown court cases has risen by 137% to more than 78,000 cases since a low in March 2019. ' A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said it would plough a record amount of investment into magistrate courts.
We know from our personal experiences the ways in which our justice system is failing women and girls across this country.