Thousands of jury trials will be scrapped to give victims the ‘swift justice they deserve’, David Lammy said as he announced radical reforms to the criminal justice system.

Justice Secretary Mr Lammy confirmed juries will be replaced with single judges for ‘either-way’ offences likely to result in a jail sentence of three years or under, including burglary, theft, fraud, and some sexual crimes.

He told MPs today the government is ‘pulling every possible lever’ to tackle a record-high backlog of crown court cases nearing 80,000 – with some trials being listed as far away as 2030.

Ministers have warned the backlog could hit 100,000 within three years if nothing is done, with a growing number of victims giving up on seeking justice because of the lengthy delays.

Setting out the govern

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