David Lammy MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to news that jury trials will resume from next week, said:

“We welcome the resumption of a limited number of jury trials under the guidance of Public Health England. Safety is rightly the priority during this pandemic, but the justice system must still be able to do its job.

“There is still more the Government can do. Many public buildings, including university lecture halls, school buildings and leisure centres are currently sitting empty. Labour is calling on the Ministry of Justice to co-opt these buildings to carry out further socially distanced jury trials according to public health advice.

“During the crisis, as in normal times, jury trials must be accessible to the public. If it is not possible for the public to attend jury trials that are usually publicly observable, they should be streamed online.”