“Ashamed of Yourself”: Labour MP Explodes at Starmer Over Plan to Scrap Jury Trials

Summary: Labour MP Karl Turner has rebuked Sir Keir Starmer over plans to restrict jury trials for some offences, calling the proposal a serious mistake and signalling he expects enough Labour MPs to block it if legislation is introduced later this year.

Labour revolt breaks into the open

A Labour backbencher has publicly turned on the Prime Minister over proposed changes to jury trials, warning the policy risks undermining a long-standing safeguard in the criminal justice system.

Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East and a former barrister, said he had contacted Sir Keir Starmer directly to express his anger at the direction of travel.

“I texted Keir and said to him he ought to be ashamed of himself.”

Turner was reported as the only Labour MP to vote against the Government’s plan in a recent Commons vote, and he has indicated he is now working to build a wider rebellion if a bill is brought forward.

What the Government is proposing

The Government’s stated aim is to cut delays in the courts by changing which cases are heard in front of a jury and how defendants can challenge outcomes.

Under the plan, jury trials would be removed for some offences where the expected prison sentence would be three years or fewer, shifting more cases away from the Crown Court process.

Ministers also want to limit appeals from magistrates’ courts to the Crown Court, tightening the routes available for challenging verdicts.

The backlog and the Leveson review

The reforms follow a review of the justice system led by Sir Brian Leveson, the retired senior judge, and sit against the backdrop of a large Crown Court backlog.

Ministers argue the current system is moving too slowly for victims and witnesses, and that changes to process are needed to increase throughput and reduce waiting times.

Critics dispute whether curbing jury trials tackles the real causes of delay, pointing instead to capacity constraints, staffing pressures, and wider system issues.

Turner’s attack on Lammy and the legal backlash

Turner has also targeted Justice Secretary David Lammy, accusing him of backing a policy he believes the criminal justice profession broadly opposes.

“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.”

Opponents argue jury trial is a constitutional protection and warn that moving cases into different forums could change outcomes and public confidence, even if it improves speed on paper.

Conservatives have also seized on the row, with shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick branding the proposal “a constitutional axe against a centuries-old cornerstone of our liberty”.

Can Labour rebels actually stop it?

Turner has said he expects enough Labour MPs to oppose the plan to defeat it in Parliament if legislation is introduced later in 2026.

That threat matters because the Government’s plan will ultimately stand or fall on whether ministers can keep their own MPs on side when a bill is formally presented and amended.

For now, the dispute has exposed a clear fault line inside Labour: a leadership determined to show it can “fix” the courts quickly, and MPs warning that speed cannot come at the cost of basic rights.