David Lammy considers scrapping jury trials for all but the most serious cases

The document said Lammy wanted to ‘introduce trial by judge alone for cases involving fraud and financial offences – if the judge considers the case to be suitably technical and lengthy.’ Photograph: Thomas Krych/Zuma Press Wire/Shutterstock

Jury trials for all except the most serious crimes such as rape, murder and manslaughter are set to be scrapped in England and Wales under radical proposals drawn up by David Lammy.

In proposals that drew a swift backlash from senior lawyers, who said that they would not reduce court backlogs and could “destroy justice as we know it”, the justice secretary has proposed that juries will only pass judgment on public interest offences with possible prison sentences of more than five years.