The Free Speech Union is extremely concerned about David Lammy’s sinister proposal to scrap our 800-year old right to trial by jury.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary confirmed during his statement in the House of Commons his decision to press ahead with the biggest assault on our ancient liberties, particularly on free speech. This is the most authoritarian step the government has taken to date, and it’s a very high bar.
Jury trials are the cornerstone of our justice system and a fundamental right first referenced in 997 and solidified under Clause 39 of Magna Carta. Like many freedoms we hold dear, they are now under threat.
Trial by one’s peers is often the last line of defence against the increasingly authoritarian “cancel-culture” mob. We must defend this crucial safeguard of our liberties—especially the right to free speech.
When in opposition, David Lammy described jury trials as “foundational to the justice system in England and Wales” and called “criminal trials without juries a bad idea.” He was right. Since taking office, Lammy appears to have lost his way.
The Free Speech Union has just released a report defending the right to trial by jury. We analysed Ministry of Justice data from 2017–2025, comparing acquittal rates for speech-related offences in jury trials versus non-jury trials—and the results are startling.
For all offences, crown court juries acquitted 21.6 per cent of the time in the last eight years, whereas it’s just 11.4 per cent in magistrates courts.
For speech-related cases, the acquittal rate in jury trials rises to 27.6 per cent, compared to 15.9 per cent in mags, and in the last three years juries have been even more likely to find defendants not guilty of speech crimes – 32.1 per cent compared to 14.1 per cent.
If Lammy gets his way, you are more likely to be banged up behind bars for simply exercising your right to free speech. We cannot afford to let that happen, so we are fighting back.
The Free Speech Union has launched a petition calling on the government to guarantee our ancient liberty and right to trial by our peers. In less than a day, we have reached 10,000!
Anyone who cares about their English liberties—especially the right to speak freely—must help us fight back.
You can sign our petition here.