## Video Summary In this video, the host discusses recent proposals by K. Star and Shabana Mahmood acknowledging that violence against women and girls is a national emergency. They express concerns about David Lammy's proposed reforms to the criminal justice system, particularly the removal of the automatic right to a jury trial and appeal from magistrates' courts to crown courts. The speaker highlights the importance of the right to appeal, deeming it essential to fair justice. They argue that the proposed reforms threaten this right, particularly in light of existing issues such as the overcrowding of the court system and funding shortfalls within police forces. The video critiques the government's approach to addressing violence against women and girls, questioning the efficacy of the proposed specialist units designed to combat these crimes amid significant financial constraints. Ultimately, it calls for an adequate funding strategy to support both law enforcement and the judicial system to effectively address these societal issues. ## Transcript It seems we are slowly making progress, with K. Star and Shabana Mahmood both stating that violence against women and girls is a national emergency. Many people, myself included, have been saying this for quite some time, and now it seems they finally agree, with proposals to address it. However, I will explain why, as good as their intentions may be, they are fundamentally flawed. First, I want to discuss David Lammy's proposed reforms for the criminal justice system, particularly regarding the removal of the right to a trial by jury and changes from magistrates' courts to crown courts. Not enough people are discussing this in detail, nor do they fully understand the ramifications. I will call this out bluntly in this video. Please subscribe to the channel; we're almost at 900,000 subscribers. I will continue to promote this because that's how it works. By the way, if anyone is interested in starting a YouTube channel or building a side hustle, join my Daniel Shenmith channel, linked below. I run multiple channels and can guide you every step of the way, having tried it all myself. Now to the issue at hand. I have previously discussed David Lammy's proposal to cut out jury trials. This will not happen unless they pass it through Parliament, but they have the potential to push these through if they maintain their supermajority. However, it must still go through both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. One aspect of the reforms is to remove the automatic right of appeal from magistrates' courts to crown courts. This issue is not being discussed sufficiently by the public. Let me explain briefly what happens if you are convicted in a magistrates' court. All criminal cases start in magistrates' courts, which is something that law students often get confused about. The majority of cases are first handled there. Indictable-only offences will not invite a formal plea in the magistrates' court; instead, they are sent directly to the crown court, where they must be tried by a jury. For either-way offences, they can be tried either in the magistrates' court or at the crown court, while summary-only offences are handled solely by the magistrates' court. A peculiar situation arises with low-value theft and shoplifting, typically tried summarily but allowing the right to elect for a crown court trial due to the nature of the offence. Currently, if convicted in a magistrates' court, there is an automatic right to appeal to the crown court. While this does not guarantee a jury trial, it allows for the case to be reheard by a qualified judge and usually two magistrates. However, David Lammy's proposal to remove this right in favour of requiring permission to appeal only on points of law poses a significant threat to the fairness of the criminal justice system. The right to appeal is fundamental to maintaining the integrity of our legal system. Returning to K. Star and Shabana Mahmood, while they acknowledge violence against women and girls as a national emergency, they overlook the concerns many have about the influx of illegal migrants, who are statistically more likely to commit these crimes. Regardless of the statistics you consider—those cited by Nigel Farage or Sky News—Afghans appear to be significantly more likely to commit these offences. Rupert Lowe has advocated for the deportation of millions, including both legal and illegal migrants. Despite reports of decreased numbers of small boat crossings, that trend has resumed. Recent data shows that we are back to hundreds or even over 700 crossings daily. In terms of solutions, the proposal is to establish specialist units to investigate violence against women and girls across the country, yet more than half of police forces already have these teams. Their plan is for every police force to have these teams set up by 2029; however, the funding required to implement this is lacking. The statistics on police funding shortfalls are grim, with the Met Police facing a £170 million shortfall in the 2025-2026 budget, cumulatively rising to £393 million by 2027-2028. As these forces aim to enhance their operations to prevent these crimes, the ongoing financial shortfalls are deeply concerning. With the pressures on the police to do more while facing severe funding cuts, it is clear that more needs to be done to support their efforts, as well as to adequately fund the court system, which currently has a backlog of cases. While there are many courtrooms available, insufficient funding and judges prevent them from operating at full capacity. David Lammy's plans to cut jury trials and the right to appeal may seem like solutions to expedite the process, but experts indicate they will not address the backlog. Rather, these cuts will undermine the rights to fair justice, including the right to a trial by jury and the ability to appeal to the crown court. Lastly, while recognising the national emergency regarding violence against women and girls, it is crucial to highlight the lack of funding for police forces, as addressing issues from the ground up is key. This situation is unlikely to improve without tackling the underlying issues comprehensively. I invite your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for watching.