The government should scrap the right of defendants to choose trial by jury for some mid-range offences, former justice secretary Jack Straw has said. He branded laws allowing someone on trial to ...

Former Justice Secretary Jack Straw claimed it was a ‘ridiculous anomaly’ that some defendants can demand their cases be heard in crown courts rather than more quickly in front of magistrates.

Mr Straw, who served as Home Secretary under Tony Blair and Justice Secretary in Gordon Brown’s government, first proposed the radical change while in government. But it was torpedoed by a ...

Jack Straw has said. Mr Straw, one of Labour’s most senior politicians, and a former home, foreign and justice secretary, said the right was a “ridiculous anomaly”. He said it enabled ...

The British public are about to be presented with a series of “big ideas” to fix the criminal justice system which is currently utterly broken. The rationale for radical change will seem ...

The government should scrap the right of defendants to choose trial by jury for some mid-range offences, former justice secretary Jack Straw has said. He branded laws allowing someone on trial to ...

Labour grandee Jack Straw has called for thousands of defendants each year to be stripped of their right to elect a jury trial. Mr Straw, who served as Home Secretary under Tony Blair and Justice ...

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The government should scrap the right of defendants to choose ...