Government abandons plan to reduce jury trials in England and Wales

The British government has dropped its plan to reduce jury trials in England and Wales after strong public opposition. Ministers had wanted to replace some jury trials with trials decided by a single judge. They said this would help courts deal with cases more quickly. However, many people were unhappy with the idea. Jury trials have been part of the English legal system for a very long time. In this system, ordinary citizens decide whether a person is guilty or not guilty. The public felt that removing juries would be a serious change to justice. Because of this pressure, ministers cancelled the proposal. The case shows that public opinion can change government decisions, even on important legal matters.