Labour drops jury trial restrictions as Tories claim victory at conference opening
The UK government has abandoned most of its plan to curb access to jury trials just as the Conservative conference opens in Birmingham, though Tories argue the reform still restricts jury rights through other means.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris announced on Sunday that the government is scrapping the bulk of its earlier plan to limit defendants' access to jury trials in criminal cases. The timing, coinciding with the opening of the Conservative Party's annual conference in Birmingham, allowed the Tories to frame the reversal as a win for their campaign.
Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy called it "a major victory for everyone who fought to defend trial by jury," crediting Conservatives with leading that fight from the start. However, he argued the government's revised approach still falls short, claiming Labour is restricting juries "by the back door" by removing defendants' right to choose a jury trial and shifting cases to magistrates' courts, which already face record backlogs. Nearly 81,000 cases remain stuck in the crown court system.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch used the conference's opening to present her party as a unified team with policies for everyone. She defended a new proposal to extend free childcare to parents earning above £100,000 a year, aimed at removing a financial "cliff edge" that currently penalizes higher earners. The policy is estimated to cost £700m annually. The party also announced plans to end student loan access for non-UK nationals, including closing new claims under the EU settlement scheme, projected to save around £900m a year — a policy Reform UK's Suella Braverman dismissed as a "cheap and tacky imitation" of her own earlier proposal.
Meanwhile, the Green Party's conference in Brighton enters its final day, with activists set to debate a contentious motion declaring "Zionism is racism." Former co-leader Carla Denyer has urged members to reject the proposal, warning it risks alienating many Jewish people and distracting from practical advocacy for Palestinians.
