Opposition Day: Jury trials

What happened: On 7 January 2026, the House of Commons voted on an Opposition Day motion (a debate day allocated to the opposition to choose the topic) brought by the Conservative Party, calling for changes to jury trial procedures or access in England and Wales. The motion was defeated by 290 votes to 182, with the government's position prevailing.

Why it matters: The vote concerned how criminal cases are tried, specifically whether to reform or expand access to jury trials. Jury trials are a fundamental feature of the English and Welsh legal system, giving defendants the right to be judged by a panel of their peers in serious criminal cases. Changes to their scope or procedures would affect defendants, victims, courts, and the wider administration of justice. The government's successful opposition to this motion means the status quo is preserved for now, and the Conservative proposals did not advance.

The politics: The vote produced a clear government-versus-opposition split. All 100 Conservative MPs present voted Aye, joined by all 59 Liberal Democrats, all four Plaid Cymru and all four Green MPs present, three Reform UK members, two Democratic Unionists, and eight Independents. Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voted almost entirely against, with only one Labour MP breaking ranks to support the motion. The result reflects the government's commanding Commons majority on a motion that drew broad but ultimately insufficient cross-opposition support. The vote sits alongside a series of related divisions in March 2026 on the Victims and Courts Bill, where the government repeatedly defeated Lords amendments by similar-sized majorities, suggesting a consistent government strategy of resisting changes to criminal justice legislation pressed by the Lords and the opposition.