East Hull MP texted Starmer 'you ought to be ashamed'

KARL TURNER WAS THE ONLY LABOUR MP TO VOTE AGAINST THE GOVERNMENT'S PROPOSED CHANGES TO JURY TRIALS

- By MARK PAGE [e-mail] @markwpage

SIR Keir Starmer “ought to be ashamed of himself” over the Government's proposed alterations to jury trials, a Hull MP has said.

Karl Turner, a former barrister, argued that stripping away the right to a jury trial in certain cases is “not something the Labour Party believes in”.

The East Hull MP defied the party whip for the first time since becoming an MP in 2010 to vote against the proposals.

Mr Turner was the sole Labour MP to oppose the Government but expressed confidence in garnering sufficient party backing to quash the plans if legislation is introduced later this year.

It comes after the Government announced plans to scrap jury trials for offences carrying a likely prison sentence of three years or less.

The right to appeal a magistrates’ court decision to a crown court will also be restricted.

The Government says the plans “are set against a record backlog of cases needing to go in front of a judge, with tens of thousands of victims waiting for justice, and the caseload set to hit 100,000 by 2028”.