Keir Starmer has doubled down on plans to curb our precious right to trial by jury — while in China. This is the most authoritarian move the government has taken to date — and that is a very high bar. The Prime Minister claims this radical step is needed to clear the Crown Court backlog and deliver swift justice for victims. Nobody agrees with him. All four bar associations across Britain and Ireland have warned that these plans would undermine public trust in the criminal justice system. Last week, the @instituteforgov Government published a report showing the proposals would save just 2 per cent of Crown Court time. There is cross-party opposition to this sinister plan, as well as growing disquiet on the Labour backbenches. Former Shadow Attorney General @KarlTurnerMP has threatened to quit Parliament and trigger a by-election over it. It’s even reported that two ministers are willing to resign if the government presses ahead. We know that if the government gets its way, more people will be locked up simply for exercising their free speech. Keir may be talking tough now — but we’re looking forward to the inevitable U-turn. Read more below 👇