Barristers make clear justice needs juries during MP court visits across England and Wales

Barristers met with their local MPs at Crown Courts across the country to discuss the criminal justice system crisis and why it will not be solved by curtailing the right to jury trial.

On one day, on 30 January 2026, the visit saw 19 Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs speak to barristers and court staff in 10 different Crown Courts in all 6 Circuits.

The visit was part of the Bar Council, Criminal Bar Association and Circuit Leaders 'justice needs juries' initiative, launched in response to the government's proposal to restrict the right to jury trials for sentences of up to three years. MPs will continue to visit courts on other dates.

Barristers across the country told their MPs how significant delays were caused by defendants being brought to court late with one describing how a whole week had been lost in a long running trial.

Others showed their MPs how many court rooms were left sitting empty due to the cap on the number of days that courts can hear cases. On Friday - the day of the visit - 59 out of the 516 Crown Courts in England and Wales were empty.

Many discussed the failures of court technology, delays through lack of interpreters and the crumbling infrastructure, illustrated by peeling wallpaper, leaking roofs, faulty lighting and barely functioning facilities for barristers.

The Bar was united in its opposition to the jury trial proposal as they explained it would make no difference to the backlog which currently stands at nearly 80,000 cases.

Several told their MPs that change is needed urgently - in the last year alone, the number of cases in the backlog has increased by 9.3%.

This comes as data published by the Institute for Government shows that plans to introduce judge-only criminal trials for sentences of up to three years would save less than 2% of time in Crown Courts, even taking the uncertain prediction of speed by Sir Brian Leveson.

Meanwhile, the Lord Chancellor David Lammy has suggested that the earliest his jury trial proposal would have an impact on the backlog would be in 2029.

Bar Council Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC - who was at Leeds Crown Court with three local MPs - said: "We're grateful to the MPs who came to court and heard from barristers prosecuting and defending as to how to fix the criminal justice system and why reducing jury trials is not the answer.

"We share the same goal of a functioning criminal justice system and of tackling unacceptable delays. Barristers deal with the despair every day. Barristers enable the voices of victims of crime to be heard in court. We need the government to listen, including examining those courts where judges have successfully reduced backlogs without reducing the important participation of a jury. This has been done through intense case listing of cases that will result in a compromise plea or where it no longer is in the public interest to prosecute. The Bar Council looks forward to the government stepping away from expending political time and capital on reducing juries and getting on with implementing the change that will make a difference."

Criminal Bar Association Chair Riel Karmy-Jones KC said: "The Criminal Justice System is an important public service that underpins civil society. Every day, we see how people's lives can be profoundly changed by contact with it, whether as the accused, complainant victims, other witnesses, and their families.

"We deeply value the interest our elected representatives take in the work of the courts and their involvement to improve the plight of all concerned.

"Over the next few months our MPs and Peers are going to have to make some hugely important decisions about the future of the CJS. We value these opportunities to show our MPs first hand the day-to-day work of their local Crown Courts."

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