Public split on jury trial restrictions

With the Conservatives today having sought to block government legislation to limit the use of jury trials, our poll today asked Britons if they would support doing so for crimes punishable by fewer than five years in prison.

Opinion on this proposal is closely divided. Today’s poll shows that 37% of Britons support restricting jury trials, while 41% are opposed, leaving opponents with a narrow advantage. This represents a shift against the proposal since November, at which point 41% were in favour and 36% were opposed.

Those who voted Labour or Liberal Dem in 2024 are more likely to support such a change (42-43% in favour versus 36-37% opposed), while Conservative voters lean the opposite way, with 48% opposed and 39% giving their backing. Reform UK voters are the most sceptical, with 59% opposed and 26% supportive.

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Plans to lower the legal drink driving limit for drivers in England and Wales have been set out by the government, bringing the rules closer to those already in place in Scotland.

Public backing for this move is very strong. The latest results show that 78% of Britons support making the drink driving limit stricter, while 14% are opposed.

Support extends across the political spectrum, though it is strongest among Labour voters. Around 85% of those who voted Labour in 2024 back a lower limit, compared with 64% of Reform UK voters, who are also more likely than others to oppose the change, at 28%.

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Government proposals to require learner drivers to wait six months after passing their theory test before taking their practical have been criticised for enshrining the current backlog in law rather than trying to resolve the situation.

Most people disapprove of the move. Today’s poll finds that 31% of Britons support a half-year mandatory waiting period, while 53% are opposed.

Attitudes differ significantly with age: 69% of 18-24 year olds oppose the proposal, whereas those aged 65 and over are more evenly split, with 41% in favour and 39% against.

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