Practitioner bodies oppose plans to limit jury trials and appeal rights
Three leading representative bodies for criminal practitioners in England and Wales have issued a joint statement opposing proposals attributed to David Lammy MP to restrict jury trial rights and the automatic right of appeal from the magistrates’ court to the Crown Court.
The statement was published on 20 February 2026 by the Criminal Bar Association, the Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association.
In their joint declaration, the organisations state that they are “united in our rejection” of proposals said to curtail what they describe as fundamental rights. These include the right to trial by jury and the automatic right to appeal from the magistrates’ court to the Crown Court.
The groups describe these rights as protections that “stand to be stripped from the public” and state that, as practitioners working within the criminal justice system, they regard it as their duty to “sound the alarm”.
The statement calls on other representative organisations across the criminal justice sector to join what the three bodies describe as a united opposition to the proposed reforms.
According to the statement, the government is seeking to advance the reforms at speed. The organisations say that the pace of the proposed changes requires what they term a “swift response”.
They confirm that they will shortly call a day of action to protest outside the Old Bailey. In addition, they state that they will coordinate their members to take further measures aimed at challenging the reforms.
The statement is signed collectively by the three bodies and does not provide further detail about the content of the proposals or any draft legislation.
No response from David Lammy MP or the government was included in the published statement.
The Criminal Bar Association represents barristers practising in crime. The Criminal Law Solicitors’ Association and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors’ Association represent solicitors undertaking criminal defence work. Together, they form a significant part of the practitioner community engaged in criminal proceedings across England and Wales.
The organisations have indicated that further information about planned action will follow.