Bridgwater MP Sir Ashley Fox has defended the right to trial by jury during a parliamentary debate on delays in the Crown Court system.
Speaking in Westminster Hall, Ashley Fox welcomed efforts to improve the efficiency of the courts but warned against proposals to limit jury trials, describing them as a threat to a key principle of British justice.
He said that while delays in court cases are a serious issue, restricting juries is not the solution.
“Increasing delays in Crown court trials are a very real problem,” he said. “They pose a problem for victims, witnesses and those defendants who are eventually acquitted… But the reason for those delays is not the jury system—that is simply a misunderstanding. The problem is that the Courts Service is not working as efficiently as it should be.”
Ashley Fox added that the right to jury trial should not be eroded, calling it a cornerstone of the justice system saying, “I am concerned at Sir Brian’s other proposals, which would reduce the defendant’s right to trial by jury. I regard that right as a fundamental freedom of our country. As parliamentarians, we should be very slow to limit it.”
The debate, led by former Attorney General Sir Jeremy Wright MP, focused on the growing backlog of Crown Court cases and the recommendations of Sir Brian Leveson’s report. Ashley Fox said the Ministry of Justice should prioritise improving productivity and modernising court infrastructure, rather than curtailing fundamental rights.
