Andy Burnham live: New PM and Cabinet make tax decision to remove VAT on electricity bills

Political correspondent Dave Burke writes in…One decision Andy Burnham will have to make quickly is whether to scrap David Lammy’s controversial jury trial reforms.

Under proposals put before Parliament, Mr Lammy said jury trials would be limited to cases with a likely sentence of three years or more.

This sparked an outcry, but the former Justice Secretary – who left the government yesterday – defended it by saying it was necessary to clear court backlogs.

The change of government will add to calls to do away with the plan.

But the PM’s official spokesman was tight-lipped about what Mr Burnham plans to do.

He told reporters today: “I’m not going to get into speculation over possible policy positions of every subject today.

“The Prime Minister has said before that he understands the pressure on the courts and the impact of thousands of victims waiting years for justice, and that this is not acceptable. But we will update in due course on that.”

There have been indications that Mr Burnham is sceptical – adding to speculation the policy could be reversed.

He urged ministers to pause the plans last year, stating: “My instinctive reaction is… I think proceed with huge caution and do not take away something that’s a lynchpin of a fair society. My call on the Government is to pause this and take a step back and have proper consideration.

“I understand the pressure on the courts but this is about a fundamental part of our country. It has to proceed with broad consent if it’s to proceed. Perhaps there’s a case in some trials not to have a full jury trial. But it should be done with the broadest possible consent in society.”

New Justice Secretary Alex Norris said his prorities are delivering swifter justice and safer communities.

But a statement issued through the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) did not specifically mention the reforms.