The jury is out on Lammy’s ‘Swift and Fair’ justice
Corporate Crime analysis: Trial by jury has long been described as a constitutional bulwark against state power, and the Justice Secretary’s recent proposals to curtail it represent one of the most significant criminal justice reforms in decades. Sailesh Mehta and Thomas C Hills of Red Lion Chambers examine how the proposed reforms outlines proposals to restrict jury trials to the most serious offences, expand judge-only ‘Swift Courts’ for lower-level and complex cases, and remove defendants’ automatic right to elect jury trial. While ministers argue this would accelerate case resolution and preserve jury trials’ symbolic core, critics across the Bar and civil society warn that the reforms risk undermining a centuries-old safeguard against state power. The controversy centres on whether systemic delay justifies recalibrating a foundational democratic institution, or whether underfunding—not juries—is the real bottleneck.