Labour suspends whip from jury trial rebel ringleader Karl Turner

An outspoken critic of the Government’s plan to restrict jury trials to the most serious offences has had the Labour whip suspended.

Karl Turner, a barrister, has been a thorn in the Government’s side over the plans.

The Press Association understands the Kingston upon Hull East MP was informed by Chief Whip Jonathan Reynolds that he was suspending the whip “following his recent conduct”.

But 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.”

As well as leading Labour resistance on the jury trial issue, Mr Turner 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.

He called the former aide to Sir Keir Starmer “McSwindle”.

Mr Turner has also been critical about the state of Labour, saying the Gorton and Denton by-election defeat to the Greens was “catastrophic”, blaming the decision to block Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham from running for the seat.

But it is as a leading critic of the Courts and Tribunals Bill that he has caused the most difficulty to the Government.

He abstained when the legislation had its first Commons test on March 10, but said he planned amendments to strip the Bill of the “completely unworkable, unpopular, unjust and unnecessary” measures restricting access to a crown court jury trial.

Mr Turner had previously threatened to quit the Commons and trigger a by-election over the proposals, which would see cases with a likely sentence of three years or less being heard by a single crown court judge, and magistrates’ courts taking on cases with a likely sentence of up to two years.

He held his seat in 2024 with a majority of 3,920 over Reform UK.

PA understands the decision to suspend the whip from Mr Turner will be reviewed at a later date.