Burnham is set to ditch Starmer's judge-only court trials in a major Labour U-turn over jury rights

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Andy Burnham is weighing up whether to drop the proposed judge-only Crown Court divisions for certain criminal cases, in what would represent a sharp departure from the justice agenda championed by his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer and former Justice Secretary David Lammy. His reservations were on record before he entered Downing Street, where he stated that his instincts were "not to reduce access to jury trial." One significant restriction would nonetheless survive any retreat, with ministers reportedly still set on removing defendants' right to elect a Crown Court hearing when charged with "either-way" offences.

The existing Courts and Tribunals Bill would still hand courts, not defendants, the power to decide whether "either-way" offences go to magistrates or the Crown Court.

Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United's part-owner, has also weighed in on Burnham's leadership, urging the Prime Minister to show the same toughness he displayed during his overhaul at Old Trafford.