A Labour MP has broken his party's whip for the first time since 2010 to vote against proposed government changes to jury trials. Karl Turner, a former barrister representing Kingston-upon-Hull, texted Sir Keir Starmer to say he should be "ashamed of himself". The Hull MP slammed Justice Secretary David Lammy for supporting the reforms.
The government plans to drop jury trials for offences carrying a likely prison sentence of three years or less. The proposals would also limit the ability to appeal magistrates court verdicts to a Crown Court. The government has not yet formally introduced the legislation but expects to do so later this year.
Only Turner among Labour MPs voted against the government on the proposals. Speaking on Times Radio, he said: "I was absolutely stunned by this policy." He texted Starmer directly, telling him: "He ought to be ashamed of himself. I'm completely ashamed of David Lammy."
Sharp Criticism of Leadership
The Hull MP accused Lammy of falling for a long-standing civil service proposal. "Every single justice secretary for the last two decades [...] has been asked by officials to do away with some jury trials, but David Lammy is the fool who fell for the trick," Turner said on Times Radio.
He expressed his anger in stark terms: "We are absolutely seething with the Government, with the Prime Minister and with David Lammy." Turner said he has requested a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister on the issue and expects him to "[...] instruct Lammy to stop."
Legal Community Opposition
Turner argued that the proposed changes would not achieve their intended efficiency gains. "The truth is that a single judge will have to go away and decide the reasons and write those reasons down … which is not a short process," he explained.
The MP claimed widespread opposition within the legal profession: "Every single barrister in the criminal justice system is saying it's a bad idea and it won't work."
Legislative Battle Ahead
Turner expressed confidence that he could gather enough Labour support to defeat the legislation if the government brings it forward. "If they're daft enough to put this legislation forward … I'm confident we'll defeat it. I think there are enough others," he said.
He framed the issue as contrary to Labour values: "This is not a Labour Party thing, doing away with the right to elect to a jury trial is not something the Labour Party believes in." Turner added: "I don't know what Keir Starmer believes in. If he believes in this idea, I'm afraid I'm ashamed of him."
The proposed measures stem from a review conducted by retired senior judge Sir Brian Leveson into the justice system.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
