David Lammy’s proposed reforms to the courts system have cleared their initial parliamentary hurdle, despite accusations from his own Labour backbenchers that he is exploiting victims’ experiences to push through the changes.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill, which includes plans to limit jury trials to cases with a likely sentence of three years or more, faced strong opposition within Labour ranks.
Charlotte Nichols MP spoke publicly for the first time about being raped, arguing that “experiences like mine feel like they’ve been weaponised and are being used for rhetorical misdirection” in the debate.
A significant number of Labour MPs criticised the reforms, with Karl Turner branding the changes “unworkable, unpopular, unjust and unnecessary”.
Mr Lammy, the Justice Secretary, had urged MPs to support the Bill, citing an urgent need to address rising court backlogs. Ultimately, the Commons voted 304 to 203, a majority of 101, to pass the Bill at its second reading.
Ten Labour MPs voted against the Courts and Tribunals Bill, while 90 had no vote recorded.
The government’s plans will see cases with a likely sentence of three years or less being heard by a single crown court judge if passed.
Some of those with no vote recorded will have formally abstained, following criticism in the Commons.
Seven Labour MPs, including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, also voted in favour of a Conservative amendment to reject the Bill. The amendment was defeated.
More to follow…
