Issue 431  3rd January 2026

The four bars of England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are ‘standing as one in opposition’ to the UK government's proposal to restrict the right to a jury trial. Lord chancellor and justice secretary David Lammy will next year attempt to push through proposals to deal with what he has described as a ‘courts emergency’. Under his ‘swift courts’ plan, judges in England and Wales will sit alone to hear cases with a possible sentence of three years or less. 

The proposal, which will require primary legislation, has attracted widespread criticism. Now the bars of England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland have expressed its ‘deep concern’ and urged the government to change course. In their joint statement, bar chair Barbara Mills KC, Roddy Dunlop KC, dean of the Faculty of Advocates, Seán Guerin SC, chair of the Bar of Ireland and Donal Lunny KC, chair of the Bar of Northern Ireland, said: ‘The four bars are deeply concerned that the UK government is planning to restrict the right to a jury trial in England and Wales. Being tried by a jury of one’s peers is a fundamental cornerstone of the criminal justice system in our respective jurisdictions. There is no evidence that this fundamental change will bring down the existing Crown court backlog.'

The government has launched a recruitment drive for thousands of new magistrates to volunteer in England and Wales as part of its efforts to grapple with the crown court backlog. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said more than 2,000 magistrates have been trained since 2022 and the latest call aims to boost that number by another 2,000 within the next financial year. Justice Secretary David Lammy said magistrates served "a vital role" in the court system and "we need more people of every age and background to volunteer".

In December, Lammy announced sweeping reforms to the criminal courts, including removing juries from a number of trials in England and Wales to speed up the justice process... The Magistrates' Association described the push as a "big vote of confidence" in magistrates, but called for more resources for the courts, including trained legal advisers and repairs for crumbling court buildings.

New statistics show that in the worst affected areas, knife-point robberies are down 15% since June last year, following targeted action from the government. This compares to a 14% rise in 2024. In real-life terms this means almost 2,500 fewer people experienced the fear of being robbed under the threat of a knife. At the same time, a government programme set up to take down County Lines – drug smuggling networks that cross regions and often involve the exploitation of children – has led to more than 8,000 arrests, more than 3,000 lines closed and more than 900 knives taken off the streets. This also saw more than 4,000 exploited children and vulnerable people given support to turn them away from criminally exploitative County Lines gangs and over 600 young people supported by specialist services. There was a 25% drop in hospital admissions for knife stabbings in the areas where large quantities of Class A drugs originate...

Racial and religious hate crime on public transport is on the rise, according to new data obtained by the Guardian, as community groups report how people are restricting their daily journeys because they fear abuse or assault. Police forces across the country have recorded an increase in hate crimes over the past year, with a significant rise in racially motivated offences in Scotland as well as religious hate crimes targeting Muslims in England and Wales. But public transport creates a particular dynamic where aggressors are often emboldened by alcohol, can isolate their targets and then exit at the next stop.

According to figures obtained by a freedom of information request, racial hate crime recorded by British Transport Police across England, Wales and Scotland increased from 2,827 cases in 2019-20 to 3,258 in 2024-25. Religious hate crime saw a similarly upward trend from 343 in 2019-20 to 419 in 2023-24 although it slightly dipped to 372 the following year...

The new bar chair beginning her year-long term from today will lead the first all-female leadership team at the Bar Council. Kirsty Brimelow KC succeeds Barbara Mills KC as chair of the representative body where she will lead Heidi Stonecliff KC, of the CPS, as vice chair; Lucinda Orr, of Enyo Law, as treasurer; and Amelia Clegg, of BCL Solicitors, as chair of the young barristers’ committee.

Brimelow, who practises in criminal, international and public law from Doughty Street Chambers, was called to the bar in 1991 and became Queen’s (now King’s) counsel in 2011. She was appointed a deputy High Court judge in the King’s Bench Division in 2021. The following year, she was appointed a recorder. From 2021 to 2023, as vice chair and then chair of the Criminal Bar Association during the criminal bar protest action, Brimelow was involved with negotiations with the government that led to an increase in legal aid fees. In her inaugural address to be given on Monday 12 January, Brimelow will set out her priorities as bar chair. She is expected to continue to lead the council’s opposition to government proposals to curtail jury trials and ‘advocate for greater investment across all jurisdictions’ and ‘shine a spotlight on children in the justice system’...

Freemasons have demanded an emergency injunction from the high court to halt the Metropolitan police’s new policy that orders officers to tell their bosses if they are members of the organisation. The Freemasons filed papers in London on Christmas Eve and claim the Met’s policy amounts to “religious discrimination” against Freemasons who are also police officers. They say the Met commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, “is making up the law on the hoof” and accused his force of “whipping up conspiracy theories” about the influence of Freemasons.

The Met has vowed to fight back as it sees the policy as part of its fight to restore trust and credibility, and a case currently under investigation involves claims of masonic influence and alleged wrongdoing. In December, the Met said anyone who was part or had been a member of a “hierarchical organisation that requires members to support and protect each other”, must declare it. The force says a survey of its officers and staff shows that two-thirds backed the restriction because it “affects public perception of police impartiality”. There have also been past claims that masonic membership could be linked to corruption...