PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk
Abandon any plans to curtail, in any way, the right to Trial by Jury
The government is concerned about the severe backlog in holding trials in the courts. The Law Society, Bar Council & other legal rights & campaign groups have suggested a range of options for addressing this issue. But the Justice Secretary prefers the drastic remedy of ending trial by jury.
Last fetched 03 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk
Signatures
14
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 14/10,000
Debate threshold (100,000) · 14/100,000
Background
The right to jury trial has been a core British value for centuries. It was developed in Anglo-Saxon & Scandinavian nations, and is enshrined in Magna Carta: "No free man shall be...imprisoned, or deprived of his liberties [except] by lawful judgment of his peers". Experience across the world shows that keeping the right to jury trial (except for minor offences) is the most powerful protector of individual liberty. The government must find other ways of addressing the backlog in the courts.