Justice Secretary David Lammy has warned Labour MPs who rebel against his plan to scrap jury trials risk letting criminals walk free.
Mr Lammy, who is bracing for a showdown with Labour MPs in the House of Commons today, insisted limiting jury services to the most heinous offences will help bring down the record court backlogs of nearly 80,000 cases and reduce the delays of up to five years currently faced by victims.
Rejecting the suggestion the plan is an “affront to the Magna Carta”, the Justice Secretary wrote in The Telegraph: “These reforms are not about weakening justice.
“They are about ensuring justice can be delivered in a 21st-century world.
“To do anything else means tens of thousands more lives left hanging in the balance and criminals walking free as the system struggles to keep up.”
However, around 80 Labour MPs have threatened to vote down the courts bill unless Mr Lammy agrees to concessions at the committee stage.
More than 3,200 lawyers also wrote to Sir Keir Starmer yesterday to warn the Prime Minister against pursuing the “unpopular, untested and poorly evidenced” jury plans.
The legislation returns to the House of Commons today for its second reading.
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'In complete tatters' - Shadow Justice Secretary slams authority of PM
Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Justice Secretary told GB News Breakfast he believes the authority of Sir Keir Starmer is "in complete tatters" when asked about the digital ID scheme.
"The cabinet is not only defying him against digital ID's, they have defied him over his policy towards Iran - he is completely weak, his colleagues know he has no backbone, and he will roll over for whatever they demand".
He slammed the Governments approach to an optional, opt-in digital ID, which he says will have no impact in tackling illegal immigration, as migrants are "unlikely to partake in an optional scheme".
Extent of Iranian influence in UK should be 'properly investigated', says Shadow justice Secretary
Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Justice Secretary spoke to GB News breakfast
|GB News
Nick Timothy MP, Shadow Justice Secretary, spoke with GB News breakfast this morning, where he said the extent of Iranian influence in Britain should be "properly investigated".
He said: "All of these organisations that are sponsored by the Iranian regime should be closed down, and in some cases people be thrown out of the country.
He mentioned an upcoming Al Quds march in London, something he says has been encouraged for years by the Iranian state and it's sponsors in the UK, which he said: "shouldn't go ahead".
Labour rebellion brews as MPs fight to extend porn ban
Ministers are scrambling to resolve a dispute over prohibiting step-incest depictions in online pornography following a narrow victory for campaigners in the upper chamber.
Conservative peer Baroness Gabby Bertin secured backing for her amendment by just a single vote, with 144 Lords supporting the measure against 143 opposed.
The proposal emerged from a broader review into tackling harmful pornographic material on the internet.
Government officials maintain that enforcement presents a fundamental obstacle, given that sexual relationships between adult step-relatives remain lawful.
This legal distinction, ministers argue, creates practical difficulties in policing such content online, prompting ongoing discussions to identify a workable compromise.
A substantial group of female Labour MPs have signalled their readiness to defy the whip should ministers fail to support the prohibition, according to reports.
One senior backbencher accused the government of "losing the plot" by focusing on technical details rather than the underlying principle.
"No one wants to go through the lobby and vote for step-incest porn," the MP told Sky News, adding that the government's reasoning "doesn't pass the sniff test" given that step-parents are responsible for half of all child sexual abuse cases.
The MP warned that should the Conservatives choose to support Baroness Bertin's amendment, only modest Labour rebellion numbers would be required to inflict a government defeat.
Reform to abolish £7.5k heat-pump subsidy to lower energy bills
Reform UK will today pledge to abolish a £7,500 heat-pump subsidy as part of its push to cut energy bills.
Speaking in Derbyshire later today, Reform UK's economics spokesman Robert Jenrick will pledge to scrap the scheme and use the money to reduce energy bills by reducing green levies, which pay for the subsidies.
He is expected to also promise to axe subsidies for carbon capture, usage and storage.
Labour accused of appeasing 'sectarian voting bloc' as new 'anti-Muslim hostility' definition formally unveiled
Labour has been accused of appeasing the "sectarian voting bloc" after the Government formally unveiled its "anti-Muslim hostility" definition on Monday.
Alongside the official definition, the Government also announced the creation of a dedicated "tsar" for tackling the "hostility" to the country's Muslim population.
The new definition has defined anti-Muslim hostility as "intentionally engaging in, assisting or encouraging criminal acts... that are directed at Muslims because of their religion or at those who are perceived to be Muslim."
But critics have tabled some serious accusations at Sir Keir Starmer's door...