Rejected petition Protect the right to trial by jury in criminal cases

Guarantee full access to trial by jury in criminal cases, and rule out introducing new limits or replacing juries with judge-only trials. Maintain the existing rights under which indictable and triable-either-way offences are decided by a jury of peers.

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Jury trials are a cornerstone of British justice, ensuring the state is held to account and that ordinary citizens play a central role in decisions that can remove someone’s liberty. Reducing access risks unchecked power, miscarriages of justice and the erosion of trust in the legal system. This fundamental safeguard must not be changed without clear democratic consent. Court backlogs should be tackled through proper funding – not by weakening vital protections.

This petition was rejected

Why was this petition rejected?

There’s already a petition about this issue. We cannot accept a new petition when we already have one about a very similar issue.

You are more likely to get action on this issue if you sign and share a single petition.

You may wish to sign the following petition, which calls for similar action:

Do not remove trial by jury for certain cases
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/751480

We only reject petitions that don’t meet the petition standards.

Date submitted 3 December 2025
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