IN DEFENCE OF TRIAL BY JURY

IN DEFENCE OF TRIAL BY JURY

THURSDAY 29TH JANUARY, 2026

In partnership with Spiked

Inner Temple Hall, The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, London EC4Y 7HL, entrance on Tudor Street.

Speakers: Lord Boateng, barristers Kate O'Raghallaigh and Adam King, His Honour Christopher Kinch.

Chair: Lord Young

• 7.30pm start, doors open 7pm, formal debate ends 9pm, wine reception until 10pm.
• Discounted tickets for FSU Members.
• Spiked Supporters should check their email for a special discount code and enter it in the discount code box once they've selected a General Public ticket.
• Non-members welcome.
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The right to trial by jury dates back to the reign of Henry II and was enshrined in Clause 39 of Magna Carta, which states: “No free man is to be arrested, or imprisoned, or disseised, or outlawed, or exiled, or in any other way ruined, nor will we go against him or send against him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land.”

In December 2025, David Lammy, the Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, outlined plans to curtail the right to trial by jury, arguing that such reforms would help clear the 80,000-strong backlog of cases in the Crown Court. Defendants charged with offences carrying a likely sentence of less than three years would be deprived of the option of a jury trial altogether.

These proposals have been criticised from left and right: Robert Jenrick described the plans as an assault on our ancient liberties; Your Party MP Zarah Sultana labelled them “authoritarian”, and Labour MP Karl Turner has threatened to break the whip over the issue.

They have also received a negative reaction from all quarters of the legal profession. In a rare joint statement, the Four Bars said: “The curtailment of jury trials has predictable negative consequences, including undermining the public’s trust and confidence in our criminal justice system” and urged the Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, to “change course”.

Research conducted by the Free Speech Union shows that those charged with so-called “speech crimes” — a growing phenomenon — are almost twice as likely to be found not guilty in a Crown Court, with a jury, than in a magistrates’ court without one.

This event marks the start of the Free Speech Union’s 2026 campaign to challenge the government’s proposed reforms and will bring together a panel of high-profile speakers to debate the issues.

Lord Boateng is a Labour peer who served as MP for Brent South from 1987 to 2005. He was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2002 and also served as a minister in the Home Office and the Department of Health. From 2005 to 2009, he served as UK High Commissioner to South Africa. He began his career as a lawyer and civil rights activist.

Kate O’Raghallaigh specialises in crime, extradition and crime related public law. She has acted in many of the country’s leading criminal appeals in recent years, including the seminal appeals in the ‘Post Office’ miscarriage of justice scandal. She has particular expertise in terrorism and national security work and the application of international human rights law in the field of criminal justice.

Adam King is a criminal barrister at QEB Hollis Whiteman where he has focussed his practice on serious and complex jury trials. He is an enthusiastic proponent of free speech and particularly enjoys defending such cases. He also occasionally writes for Unherd on legal topics.

His Honour Christopher Kinch was a Senior Circuit judge and Resident Judge at Woolwich Crown Court for 11 years from 2013 until his retirement in September 2024.  Before appointment as a judge, he spent 13 years as a QC prosecuting and defending in cases in London and across England and Wales.  His time in silk included stints as Head of chambers at 23 Essex Street and as Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association.

Lord Young is a British journalist and campaigner. He is the founder and general secretary of the Free Speech Union, an associate editor of the Spectator and the editor-in-chief of the Daily Sceptic. He was made a Conservative life peer in 2024 as Lord Young of Acton.

About the venue:

innertemplevenuehire.co.uk/event-spaces/inner-temple-hall/