The United Kingdom moves to cut back jury trials to clear a growing court backlog

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The UK’s Courts and Tribunals Bill, spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy in late 2025 and moving through Parliament in early 2026, represents the most aggressive overhaul of the English legal system in decades.

Defendants lose the right to choose a jury trial for “either-way” offenses (theft, burglary, drug possession) if the court deems a sentence of 3 years or less is likely.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/courts-and-tribunals-bill/courts-and-tribunals-bill-factsheet

A new tier of the Crown Court is being created where single judges will sit alone to decide both verdict and sentence for mid-level crimes, bypassing juries entirely.

https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/publication/reviewing-proposed-reforms-jury-trials

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