Slashing jury trials could clear courts backlog within a decade, says Lammy

Exclusive: Lord chancellor urges MPs to back judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and Wales

The backlog of nearly 80,000 trials clogging up the court system could be cleared within a decade if parliament agrees to slash the number of jury trials, David Lammy, the lord chancellor, has claimed.

In an interview with the Guardian, the deputy prime minister, who is facing a backbench rebellion over the proposals, has urged Labour MPs and the public to back a version of Canada's judge-only trials in thousands of criminal cases in England and Wales.