Trial by jury bill faces defeat

Simon Hughes handles a replica Uzi in Bournemouth

The government's bill to restrict the right to trial by jury in England and Wales faces defeat in the House of Lords following the Liberal Democrats' decision to vote against it.

Home affairs spokesman Simon Hughes told his party conference Lib Dem peers would vote "to throw out this disgraceful and unjustified" measure.

The Conservatives have already put down a wrecking amendment and the weight of the Liberal Democrats, plus crossbenchers concerned about civil liberties, makes defeat likely next week.

A similar bill was defeated by an all-party alliance of peers including Labour rebels in January, but Home Secretary Jack Straw re-introduced an amended bill.

If the government is defeated again, it could invoke the Parliament Act after a year, but that would mean the bill would almost certainly be lost until after the next general election.

Bill modified

Mr Hughes said the decision to remove trial by jury in middle-ranking cases was "a serious erosion of rights - unjustified and illiberal. A government of integrity and civil liberty would not have introduced this bill once, let alone twice.

"Jury trial is a central element of democracy and freedom... Liberal Democrats will do everything we can to prevent this legislation," he said.

After the January defeat, Mr Straw modified the bill to reflect some of the peers' concerns.

These included requiring magistrates to state the reasons for rejecting a jury trial and the removal of a clause that would have forced them to consider sending a person for trial by jury if a conviction would damage their reputation or livelihood.

This was denounced as a two-tier system benefiting the rich.

Despite the concessions, 29 Labour MPs voted against the bill in March, though Mr Straw said he would press on with his "modest" reforms.