Tories hail Labour reversal on jury-trial plans as conference opens

The Conservatives have called Labour’s decision to abandon most of its plans to restrict access to jury trials a major victory as the Conservative party conference begins in Birmingham. Nick Timothy, the shadow justice secretary, said Conservatives had led opposition to the proposals from the beginning. He said Labour had been forced to drop its central plan affecting jury trials in the Crown court.

Timothy nevertheless argued that the government’s retreat did not go far enough. He claimed Labour was still limiting juries indirectly by removing a right to elect one and transferring cases to magistrates’ courts. He also pointed to a Crown court backlog of nearly 81,000 cases, according to the supplied material, and criticised the absence of a commitment to increase the number of court sittings.

Labour’s reforms include a review of how they affect people from different backgrounds, he said. The government’s announcement has competed for attention with the opening of the Conservative conference. Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the previous year had been about establishing who she was, while the next phase would show the country that the Conservatives were a strong team.

The conference follows concerns about the party’s electoral position. The supplied material says the Conservatives won 24.4% of the vote at the last election and have since polled below that level, with the Politico poll of polls putting them at 19%. Meanwhile, the Green party is debating a motion titled “Zionism is racism”.

Former co-leader Carla Denyer urged activists to reject the wording, warning that it could consume the party’s attention and alienate Jewish people who oppose the Israeli government and support Palestinian rights.