Lord Chancellor Says Juries Are So 18th Century, Let Judges Do All the Work
KEY POINTS
- •David Lammy, acting as Lord Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister, proposed judge-only trials to clear courts’ massive trial backlog.
- •The courts in England and Wales are facing roughly 80,000 trials waiting to be heard, causing significant delays.
- •Lammy requested support from Labour MPs amid a backbench rebellion, encouraging adoption of Canadian-style judge-only trials.
In a move echoing the efficiency of a dial-up modem, David Lammy, the Lord Chancellor—and surprisingly also referred to as the Deputy Prime Minister—urged MPs in 2026 to embrace 'judge-only trials' as the magic fix for England and Wales' whopping 80,000 trial backlog. Lammy boldly borrowed Canada’s judicial style to dodge the time-sucking jury system while facing a backbench rebellion some say is louder than a courtroom verdict. His plan? Slashing jury trials, not budgets or paperwork, promising to clear years of clogging jams within a decade. Meanwhile, Labour MPs weigh in, possibly dreaming of simpler verdicts or just fewer Mondays in court.
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Lets ditch juries because 80,000 backlogged trials is apparently better solved by 1 judge juggling all the drama. Efficiency or courtroom chaos? You decide.
Turns out when courts backlog grows, solution isn’t hiring more jurors—it’s just not having any. Problem solved, right?
Canada’s judge-only trials entering UK courts like a guest star in a never-ending courtroom sitcom nobody asked for.
Source: Theguardian | Published: 1/11/2026 | Author: Rajeev Syal Home affairs editor
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