Abolishing jury trials will "destroy" the criminal justice system, fail victims and increase the chances of wrongful convictions, David Lammy has been warned. Only murder, rape, manslaughter and "public interest" cases will be heard by juries as part of radical proposals to slash the crown court backlog.

But the Justice Secretary, branded "Calamity Lammy" by the Tories, faced widespread fury after writing in a memo to other ministers and civil servants that there is "no right" to jury trials in the UK. Senior legal sources told the Daily Express Labour is "intent on removing the rights of ordinary people" and taking an "axe" to the values of "British justice and fairness". A staggering three in four cases could now be heard only by a judge, with magistrates set to be granted more sentencing powers.

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "Calamity Lammy strikes again. Lammy once defended jury trials, but now he's getting rid of them in most scenarios.

"Scrapping this pillar of our constitution for the sake of administrative convenience is a disgrace.

"Trial by jury ranks as one of this country's greatest gifts to the world, but Calamity Lammy is intent on throwing it away.

"The Labour Party thinks that judges always know best. We see it in their approach to the Chagos Islands, the European Convention on Human Rights and, now, in their willingness to scrap jury trials. For Keir Starmer, the rule of law simply equals rule by lawyers."

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: "Juries are not just part of our tradition. They put ordinary men and women of every walk of life at the heart of justice.

"Labour wants to shred this basic right, replacing the common sense of the jury box with rule by lawyers.

"It is a short-term decision that risks fairness, undermines public trust, and erodes the very foundation of our justice system. David Lammy used to agree, so what's changed?

"Conservatives believe in our traditions, and we believe in trial by jury."

Justice chiefs are said to be increasingly alarmed by the growing crown court backlog, which means some victims are waiting until 2029 to face their attackers.

It soared by 10% during Labour's first year in office, from 70,893 to 78,329.

And the backlog in rape cases has rocketed sevenfold from 573 in June 2019 to 4,086 in June 2025.

It has also increased by 30% in the past year, when Labour took office.

The number of sexual offence cases waiting to be heard has also soared by 20% in a year, rising from 11,062 to 13,328.

But Riel Karmy-Jones KC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said: "The consequences of their actions will be to destroy a criminal justice system that has been the pride of this country for centuries, and to destroy justice as we know it.

"The Government are using the backlog as a pretext for restricting the right to jury trial - and to exclude/limit ordinary people from being involved in the cases that matter to them the most.

"Their justification is false. Juries are not the cause of the backlog. The cause is the systematic underfunding and neglect that has been perpetrated by this government and its predecessors for years."

Mr Lammy told ministers and civil servants that only murder, rape, manslaughter and "public interest" cases should be heard by a jury.

All "lower tier offences" would be heard by a judge alone, suggesting that crimes likely to receive a sentence of up to five years would be heard by judges alone.

The plans go significantly further than the recommendations of Sir Brian Leveson, who was commissioned to review the criminal courts and reported in July.

His main recommendation was the creation of an "intermediate court" in which a judge would sit with two lay magistrates.

Under Mr Lammy's plans, magistrates are also set to have their sentencing powers significantly increased from the maximum prison term of one year to 24 months.

The Deputy Prime Minister insisted in his memo that the plans would not compromise suspects' rights, adding that "there is no right to trial by jury".

Five years ago, Mr Lammy insisted: "Jury trials are a fundamental part of our democratic settlement.

"Criminal trials without juries are a bad idea."

Law Society of England and Wales president Mark Evans said: "This is a fundamental change to how our criminal justice system operates, and it goes too far.

"Our society's concept of justice rests heavily on lay participation in determining a person's guilt or innocence. Allowing a single person to take away someone's liberty for a lengthy period or decide a potentially life-changing complaint would be a dramatic departure from our shared values.

"We have not seen any real evidence that expanding the types of cases heard by a single judge will work to reduce the backlogs.

"The Leveson proposals were an uncomfortable compromise, only justifiable given the extensive challenges our justice system faces.

"To go beyond Leveson's proposals is a step too far.

"With a sensible combination of funding and structural change, the Government can solve the criminal courts backlog without resorting to extremes."

Former home secretary and attorney general Suella Braverman said: "This is a serious assault on our liberty.

"Trial by your peers is a fundamental right in our democracy and goes to the core of who we are as a nation.

"Is there nothing sacred left in this country that Labour won't destroy?

"This Government is truly horrific."

A Ministry of Justice spokeswoman said: "No final decision has been taken by Government. We have been clear there is a crisis in the courts, causing pain and anguish to victims - with 78,000 cases in the backlog and rising - which will require bold action to put right."