Sir Brian Leveson and Criminal Justice: A Requiem For Jury Trials in England and Wales?

The UK criminal justice system is facing an existential threat with court backlogs surging, trial complexity increasing, and decades of chronic underfunding pushing the system to the edge of collapse. Ken Macdonald KC and Tim Owen KC are joined by Sir Brian Leveson to discuss the findings of his landmark independent review of the criminal courts. 

 

The discussion explores proposals to overhaul the structure of criminal trials, reduce pressure on the courts, and restore public trust touching on key issues such as:

• Removing the right to elect trial by jury in certain cases
• Expanding out-of-court resolutions
• Creating a new Crown Court bench division
• Modernising and diversifying the magistracy
• Introducing judge-only trials in complex or lengthy cases

These recommendations sit at the heart of a wider debate about the future of UK law, political issues in Britain, and the balance between justice, efficiency, and liberty. The episode interrogates what’s at stake for the rule of law, judicial independence, and the public’s faith in a fair, functioning system.

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Covering the critical intersections of law and politics in the UK with expert commentary on high-profile legal cases, political controversies, prisons and sentencing, human rights law, current political events and the shifting landscape of justice and democracy. With in-depth discussions and influential guests, Double Jeopardy is the podcast that uncovers the forces shaping Britain’s legal and political future.

 

What happens when law and politics collide? How do politics shape the law - and when does the law push back? What happens when judicial independence is tested, human rights come under attack, or freedom of expression is challenged? And who really holds power in Britain’s legal and political system?

 

Get answers to questions like these weekly on Wednesdays.

 

Double Jeopardy is presented by Ken Macdonald KC, former Director of Public Prosecutions, and Tim Owen KC, as they break down the legal and political issues in Britain. From high-profile legal cases to the evolving state of British democracy, Double Jeopardy offers expert legal commentary on the most pressing topics in UK law, politics, and human rights.

 

Ken Macdonald KC served as Director of Public Prosecutions from 2003-2008, shaping modern prosecutorial policy and advocating for the rule of law. He is a former Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, a crossbench member of the House of Lords, and a leading writer, commentator and broadcaster on politics and the rule of law.

 

Tim Owen KC has been involved in many of the most significant public, criminal and human rights law cases over the past four decades. 

 

Both bring unparalleled experience from the frontline of Britain's legal and political landscape.

 

If you like The Rest Is Politics, Talking Politics, Law Pod UK and Today in Focus, you’ll love Double Jeopardy.