A top lawyer described as a mentor to Sir Keir Starmer has hit out Labour plans to limit the number of jury trials. Edward Fitzgerald KC has called for juries to be kept in another blow to the Prime Minister who is facing a growing wave of opposition, including from Labour backbenchers, to the proposed reforms which have sparked controversy.

The plans are being spearheaded by Deputy PM and Justice Secretary David Lammy. The Government wants to halve the number of trials involving juries - a move which ministers hope will help clear a backlog of cases in the courts. However, Mr Fitzgerald, widely seen as Sir Keir's mentor during his time as a barrister, has voiced concerns over the proposals.

He told The Telegraph: "It is most unfortunate the Government has taken this position. Juries should be kept."

Mr Fitzgerald is a founding head of Doughty Street chambers, a human rights law firm, where Sir Keir practised for nearly 20 years.

Doughty Street, in a statement issued on its website on behalf of its members, including Mr Fitzgerald, also blasted the plans.

It said: "Trial by jury is a deeply entrenched constitutional principle and anchors our liberal democracy. Jury trials enable people to participate and have a say in their criminal justice system.

"We are firmly opposed to the proposals to remove trial by jury for all but the most serious of crimes. These proposals are wrong in principle, and there is no evidence that they will resolve the current Crown Court backlog."

Labour wants to limit jury trials to only the most serious offences, and those with a likely sentence of more than three years in prison.

The Government said new 'Swift Courts' will be set up in England and Wales to hold cases with a probable sentence of three years or less, heard by a judge alone. It estimates this would take 20% less time than a jury trial.

Critics have warned public trust in the justice system could be undermined as a result.

Barristers from across the UK and Ireland have said they are "deeply concerned" by the plans to restrict the right to a jury trial, describing it as "a fundamental cornerstone of the criminal justice system".

In a statement, the "Four Bars", the bodies representing barristers across Britain and the Republic of Ireland, said there was "no evidence that this fundamental change will bring down the existing crown court backlog".

Justice Minister Jake Richards fiercely defended the plans on Wednesday amid the prospect of a Labour backbench rebellion.

Asked about the criticism, he told Times Radio: "I'll tell you what is the most dangerous part of undermining trust in our justice system. It's the fact that rape victims are having to wait five, six years for their day in court, which means too often those trials never happen. Justice is not done, and perpetrators of the most heinous crimes never face justice."

He said the Government needed to take "pretty radical action" to ensure a swifter process and "the very modest changes being proposed to jury trials" were part of a wider package.