Labour’s unity has been plunged into open conflict as senior backbenchers turn on the Justice Secretary, David Lammy, over controversial plans to restrict the right to jury trial.Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull East since 2010, has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of the policy.
He has branded the reforms “unjust, unworkable and deeply unpopular”, and said they were never put before voters.
Turner, a former barrister and long‑time ally of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, said his frustration has reached boiling point.
Karl Turner has been the MP for Kingston upon Hull East since 2010 (Image: Chris McAndrew / UK Parliament (Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)))
In recent weeks, he has repeatedly contacted the Prime Minister directly, urging him to intervene and rein in his Justice Secretary, The Telegraph reported.
He told the outlet: “I think this is so disgraceful that David Lammy should consider his position. Absolutely. I think he should go now. Frankly, that’s how strong I feel. I told him to his face, he should resign.”
The row centres on plans announced by Lammy to remove the automatic right to a jury trial for offences carrying sentences of less than three years. Ministers argue the move is necessary to tackle record backlogs in the courts, but critics insist it undermines a fundamental pillar of British justice.Last week, Turner broke the party whip for the first time in his 16-year parliamentary career, voting alongside Conservatives to oppose the reforms. He even revealed that if the plan to curb jury trials had been in the manifesto, he might not have stood for re-election.
Turner’s opposition is rooted not just in legal theory and professional experience, but in personal experience. As a young man, before entering the legal profession, he was wrongly accused of handling stolen goods — an allegation that could have destroyed his future.
The case eventually collapsed, but Turner believes that without the safeguard of a jury, he could easily have been convicted by a single judge.
