Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Darling Excerpts

Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Sir John Hayes (South Holland and The Deepings) (Con)]

3. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of his proposed changes to jury trials on the criminal justice system.

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

13. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of his proposed reforms to jury trials on the court backlog.

[Mr Jonathan Brash (Hartlepool) (Lab)]

19. What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposal to restrict the right to a jury trial for certain offences on court backlogs.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Lammy]

We are not abandoning the jury system, but as Sir Brian Leveson said in his Sunday Times article this weekend, the threshold needs to be rebalanced. I am not sure if the right hon. Gentleman was in Parliament in 1988, but I am sure that he did not object when Margaret Thatcher rebalanced the threshold and moved criminal damage and driving a vehicle without authority to the magistrates courts.

[Steve Darling]

There is clear evidence up and down the country of Serco failing to serve the Courts Service appropriately, including for my constituents in Torbay. Does the Secretary of State accept that if we can make sure that Serco can get people to the courts more rapidly, it will give them better access to justice and allow them to access jury trials?

[Mr Speaker]

That was very well linked at the end!