Wales and Chester barristers oppose jury plans
Barristers on the Wales and Chester Circuit have met local MPs at Cardiff Crown Court and Swansea Crown Court to oppose Government proposals to restrict jury trials.
The meetings formed part of the “Justice needs juries” campaign, led by barristers who argue that court delays are caused by chronic under-investment rather than the use of juries.
Under the proposals, the right to elect a jury trial would be removed in cases where the sentence may be up to three years.
At Cardiff Crown Court, Circuit Leader Christopher Rees KC met Stephen Doughty MP, Labour member for Cardiff South and Penarth, and Alex Barros-Curtis MP, Labour member for Cardiff West.
At Swansea Crown Court, barrister Craig Jones met Carolyn Harris MP, Labour member for Neath and Swansea East, Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Labour member for Gower, and representatives for Sir Chris Bryant MP, Labour member for Rhondda.
The constituency court day took place across England and Wales, with around 20 MPs visiting 10 Crown Courts, at least one in each of the six circuits.
Backlog figures were raised during the discussions. Between 2024 and 2025, the overall backlog in England and Wales increased by 9.3% to 79,619 cases. Over the same period, the backlog at Cardiff Crown Court increased by 0.8%. In Swansea, it increased by 9%.
Barristers from the circuit also travelled to Westminster alongside the Bar Council, which represents 18,000 barristers across England and Wales, and the Criminal Bar Association, to meet MPs.
Christopher Rees KC said: “The strength of feeling among barristers across the whole of Wales and Chester – and indeed the country – is clear: we oppose plans to restrict jury trials for both principled and practical reasons.
“We all want to see the backlog in the courts brought down for the sake of complainants, witnesses and defendants, as well as those working in the system. But juries did not cause the backlog and research shows that reducing them is not the answer.
“In Wales and Chester, the backlog is not nearly as great as in parts of England. We need greater investment across the system to tackle the issues that cause delays including defendants being repeatedly brought late to court. At Cardiff Crown Court, barristers told us that a whole week of their trial had been lost due to this very reason. Not only that but on another occasion, the cells were understaffed so all trials had to stop that day – these issues have nothing to do with jury trials.
“I’m proud that barristers practising in Wales and Chester have taken the time to meet with their MPs – both in the region and in London – to set out our argument that justice needs juries.”
The Government’s proposals relate to jury trials in cases where the maximum sentence is up to three years.
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