Labour MP Karl Turner, a prominent vocal critic of the Government’s policy of restricting jury trials, has had the Labour whip suspended.
The Kingston upon Hull East MP, 54, has repeatedly hit out at David Lammy’s proposal to allow juries to hear only the most serious criminal cases.
Under plans being pushed through by Justice Secretary Mr Lammy, criminal cases with a likely sentence of three years or less would not be entitled to a jury trial.
Under changes proposed in the Courts and Tribunals Bill, these would instead be heard by a single crown court judge.
The Government has faced considerable opposition from its own backbenchers, with Mr Turner branded them ‘unworkable, unpopular, unjust and unnecessary’, when they were debated in the Commons earlier this month.
But he has also hit out on a variety of other issues affecting the Government and the PM’s handling of them.
He questioned the circumstances around the theft of the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s mobile phone and with it potentially messages to Lord Peter Mandelson, branding the former aide to Sir Keir Starmer ‘McSwindle’.
The Mail understands he was told by Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds that he was suspending the whip ‘following his recent conduct’.
But writing on X Mr Turner said: ‘I am being told that I have had the whip suspended but I have not had any notification from the whips about this. It seems journalists have been told but I have not.’
He later added: ‘I’ve been a loyal Labour MP for 16 years and have only broken the whip on jury trials. I’m disappointed to be suspended without prior discussion. I’ll always stand up for justice, my principles, and East Hull.’
It will raise questions also about what may happen to other critics within the party.
MP Charlotte Nichols (Warrington North) is one of those who also criticised the law change, saying ministers were using victims as a ‘cudgel’ to push through the reforms.
The Government had been braced for a rebellion over David Lammy’s plans, however many of those with concerns opted to abstain at the Courts and Tribunals Bill’s second reading on March 10.
Ten Labour MPs voted against the draft legislation, all from the hard left of the party. Mr Turner and Ms Nicholls were not among them, with the Hull MP saying he wanted to see if the law could be amended instead of blocking it entirely.
Earlier this month he told Times Radio: “I’m not going to be bullied. I’m not going to be threatened with suspension.
‘I’m already on a conduct warning for having the audacity to say that these proposals are ludicrous. I’m not going to be bullied around.
‘If my parliamentary Labour party chief, Prime Minister, leader of the party or whatever else doesn’t want me in the party anymore, fine. I don’t mind walking and causing a by-election.
‘But I’ll just say this to them, be a bit careful because the reality is if God came down from heaven wearing a red rosette right now, that God would not be elected as a Labour MP.’
