UK Law Articles
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The Times
September 20 2000
Alliance will kill jury Bill
BY JAMES LANDALE, POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT
THE Liberal Democrats are to unite with Tory and crossbench peers in the House of Lords next week to kill the Government's plans to curb defendants' access to jury trial.
Simon Hughes, the party's Home Affairs spokesman, yesterday said the peers would throw out the "disgraceful and unjustified" Criminal Justice (Mode of Trial) (No2) Bill. The measure would prevent defendants choosing to be tried by jury - as opposed to magistrates - for many less severe charges.
Both the Liberal Democrats and the Tories believe the move overturns an historic civil right to be judged by one's peers. Mr Hughes said that peers would take the rare step of opposing the Bill outright at its Second Reading a week tomorrow.
The Bill has already been rejected by the Lords but was reintroduced by the Government. If Labour is defeated, ministers will not have enough time to force it through under the Parliament Acts before the next election if it is held in May 2001.
Mr Hughes said yesterday: "The Government's proposal to remove the right to choose jury trial in middle-ranking cases is a serious erosion of rights - unjustified and illiberal. A Government of integrity and civil liberty would not have introduced this Bill once, let alone twice."
