Do not remove trial by jury for offences with sentences of three years or less
The Government should withdraw proposals to restrict jury trials for either‑way offences with likely sentences of three years or less, and should guarantee that such offences will remain eligible for trial by jury in the Crown Court.
Signatures
9
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 9/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 9/100,000
- 03 FEB 2026Petition rejectedduplicate
You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action: Do not remove trial by jury for certain cases https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/751480
- 09 JAN 2026Petition created
Background
Trial by jury is a core safeguard rooted in Magna Carta 1215 and centuries of English constitutional practice, protecting the right of free citizens to be judged by their peers rather than the state alone. Curtailing jury trial in a wide range of criminal cases is difficult to reconcile with the fair‑hearing guarantees in Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as applied by the Human Rights Act 1998, and risks eroding public confidence in the justice system. No government should use a temporary majority to dismantle long‑standing common‑law constitutional rights without clear consent from the electorate. Parliament and the Government should therefore protect the availability of jury trial in serious and either‑way offences and drop plans for routine judge‑only trials