The last time I went to see lawyers protest outside parliament before heading inside to lobby their MP was in 2022, when the criminal bar took industrial action over legal aid pay. On Tuesday, I witnessed a similar event - but this time, lawyers were protesting against justice secretary David Lammy’s controversial proposal to curtail the right to a jury trial.
Turnout for Tuesday's protest and lobbying of MPs, led by the London Criminal Courts Solicitors' Association, was impressive given the Courts and Tribunals Bill had been introduced only two weeks earlier. The protest was arranged for Tuesday, when the bill was being debated for the first time by MPs.
The rain cleared up by 9am, when solicitors began congregating at nearby United Nations Green (I was later told it would have been unlawful to protest on Parliament Square).
Speeches began with a poem written and recited by former LCCSA chair Greg Foxsmith. I challenge anyone to shorthand and take photos at the same time, but I managed to capture the following lines: 'Stupid proposal that has to go, It was not in your manifesto', 'Underfunding - that’s to blame, Not juries, have you no shame?' and 'Not if, when, There are millions more than just 12 angry men'.
LCCSA vice-president Zachary Whyte led chants of ‘No jury, no justice’ in between speeches from himself, LCCSA president Jason Lartey, Criminal Law Solicitors Association vice-chair Andrew Bishop, Bindmans’ Matt Foot and Society of Asian Lawyers president Muntech Kaur.
Barrister Shaun Wallace, best known as one of the ‘chasers’ on ITV quiz show The Chase, was unable to attend the protest but sent a statement that was read out to the crowd. ‘Let this gathering send a clear message. The right to be judged by one’s peers is not negotiable,’ Wallace declared.
Before everyone ventured through security to lobby their MPs, barrister Miranda Grell managed to get Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy to come out to address them. ‘There will be no justice if we do not have these juries,’ Ribeiro-Addy said. Ribeiro-Addy told me afterwards that ‘the fact almost entirely the legal profession is against this shows us this is wrong. They are the ones who understand what’s happening. Trust your lawyer.’
Labour’s Kim Johnson popped out to tell the crowd that she met Lammy the previous day. ‘I told him I was minded to abstain, but I’ve made the decision to vote against it,’ she said - prompting huge cheers.
Next to emerge: John McDonnell MP. He revealed that he would be voting against the bill, concerned that the curtailment marked the start of a ‘slippery slope’. The government had other options to tackle the backlog, he said. ‘The solution is not to withdraw people’s rights. It is to strengthen people’s rights by making sure they have access to the courts.'
Labour’s Imran Hussain came out ‘to show solidarity’. Labour’s Ian Byrne MP told everyone he was worried about the impact of the reforms for working class people. Apsana Begum MP shared her personal experience of going to court: ‘I know how vital it is to uphold the system. This is not something that should be up for debate,’ she said.
Solicitors then headed inside parliament and directed towards the 'mass lobby meeting point' in Westminster Hall. They requested to see their MP by completing a ‘green card’. And then, they waited.
I spotted Lartey sitting alone on a bench and, having remembered that I saw him earlier being interviewed by a TV crew, asked if I could do a quick interview for our ‘Lawyer in the News’ section. He was happy to (see today’s edition).
I assumed everyone present worked in criminal law, so I was surprised to meet a solicitor who didn't. She found out about the protest the day before. ‘If I had known, I would have rung ordinary people - mechanics, hairdressers, parents.’
On why she wanted to lobby her MP, she said: ‘If you do not act now, later on it’s going to be detrimental to society. Let’s assume you get the bill, you get rid of juries and a single judge is making the decision. Later on, there's maybe an argument to say judges are human and subject to human flaws. Therefore, to get a more accurate decision, maybe we should replace judges with AI. I know that’s dystopian, but it’s opening the door.’
Is it dystopian, I thought to myself, remembering that Lammy was at Microsoft's AI Tour in London when he confirmed he was curbing jury trials.
Following a debate that lasted more than five hours, the Courts and Tribunals Bill passed its second reading by a majority of 101 votes.
The public bill committee will begin scrutinising the legislation on 25 March and has issued a call for evidence. The practitioner groups have already begun examining the legislation and come across worrying provisions they will undoubtedly draw to the committee's attention.
The fight is far from over.
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