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The Scottish government has been accused of attempting to “interfere in the independence of the judiciary” amid a row over plans to pilot juryless rape trials.

Lawyers across the country are expected to join what looks set to be a unanimous boycott of the scheme, which was proposed last month as part of a new justice reform bill.

All rape and attempted rape trials in Scotland are currently held before a jury of 15 people, who listen to the evidence and decide whether the accused is innocent, guilty, or the charges not proven.

Under the new proposals being put forward, ministers will have the power to carry out a pilot of rape trials being conducted by a single judge without a jury.

Although more than 80% of criminal trials in Scotland are already conducted without a jury, according to the Scottish government, lawyers across the country intend to boycott Holyrood’s plans to introduce the scheme to rape cases.

The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association has confirmed at least 10 groups have voted against the proposals.

President Julia McPartlin said lawyers in Aberdeen, Airdrie, Dumfries, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Hamilton, Highland and Moray, and Paisley will boycott the plans.

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In a statement, the association said: “The proposed pilot is a clear attempt to interfere in the independence of the judiciary and the court process by the Scottish government.

“The motivation behind this pilot is to increase the conviction rate for rape at any cost.

“The bill proposes that judges appointed to the pilot court can be removed apparently without reason.

“Security of tenure is a fundamental safeguard against interference by the government in the independence of the judiciary.

“Furthermore, the workings of the pilot court will be subject to review. These are unprecedented proposals.”

The Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill aims to address a number of issues around serious sexual offences, including a bid to scrap the controversial “not proven” verdict.

It also proposes to reduce the size of criminal juries from 15 to 12 – the same number as those in England.

Former senior judge Lord Uist previously described the plans for single-judge rape trials as “constitutionally repugnant” and accused ministers of “treating the courts as forensic laboratories in which to experiment with their policies”.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Aberdeen Bar Association vice president Ian Woodward-Nutt told Sky News: “It is a danger. This level of political meddling is something that we should all be deeply concerned about.”

Mr Woodward-Nutt said using juries in the most serious cases means they are “protected from public scrutiny” and bring a “breadth of real-life experience” to their decision-making.

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Bill to scrap ‘not proven’ verdict published

Read more:
Scotland’s ‘not proven’ verdict to be scrapped
‘Not proven’ verdict needs review to boost low rape conviction rates

Aberdeen lawyers join Glasgow and Edinburgh in boycott of juryless rape trials pilot

In the most recent figures, conviction rates for rape and attempted rape were 51%, compared with 91% for all other crimes.

Mr Woodward-Nutt said the lower conviction rate is not “down to some defect in the system”.

He explained that in rape cases it’s rare to have an independent witness and it’s normally the account of a complainer against an accused – which means it is “very difficult” for the prosecution to prove a case beyond reasonable doubt.

Mr Woodward-Nutt noted that the plans were being brought in to increase the number of convictions.

He said: “That’s an astonishing starting point for any programme of this type.”

The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association highlighted that the jury selection process protects against prejudice or misconceptions that might be held by a minority, and jurors are free to make decisions without pressure or undue influence.

Jurors are also given specific directions by judges and a jury manual used by judges to form their directions to the jury also contains detailed instructions on the many situations where consent is an issue.

The Scottish Solicitors Bar Association said: “We are of the view that existing measures and the jury selection process are sufficient to ensure a fair consideration of the evidence presented in rape trials.”

Scotland’s Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “It is disappointing that some criminal defence lawyers oppose a recommendation of a review carried out by Lady Dorrian, Scotland’s second most senior judge, to improve how the justice system treats rape victims by piloting judge-only rape trials.

“There is overwhelming evidence that jurors are subject to preconceptions about rape that can impact the verdicts they reach – which is not the case in other serious crime trials.

“Over 80% of criminal trials in Scotland are already conducted without a jury. We have worked closely with the legal sector and will continue to do so during the development and evaluation of the pilot.”

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Starmer’s plan to recognise Palestinian state labelled ‘appeasement towards jihadist terrorists’ by Netanyahu

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Starmer's plan to recognise Palestinian state labelled 'appeasement towards jihadist terrorists' by Netanyahu

Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to recognise Palestine as a state has been attacked as “appeasement towards jihadist terrorists” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The prime minister said the UK will recognise a Palestinian state by September unless Israel takes “substantive steps” to end the situation in Gaza, Israel agrees to a ceasefire, commits to a long-term sustainable peace, allows the UN to restart aid supplies and does not annexe the West Bank.

About 250 MPs from all parties – half of them Labour – had signed a letter last week calling for Sir Keir to immediately recognise a Palestinian state.

Politics latest: PM’s Palestine plan labelled ‘absurd’

Sir Keir said that by giving Israel a deadline of 9 September UN meeting, he hoped this would play a part “in changing the conditions on the ground, and making sure aid gets into making sure that there is hope of a two-state solution for the future”.

But Mr Netanyahu condemned the plan, saying Sir Keir “rewards Hamas’s monstrous terrorism and punishes its victims”.

“A jihadist state on Israel’s border today will threaten Britain tomorrow,” he wrote on X.

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“Appeasement towards jihadist terrorists always fails. It will fail you too. It will not happen.”

The Israelis also accused Sir Keir of pandering to his MPs and France, after Emmanuel Macron committed to recognising a Palestinian state last week, and harming efforts to release Israeli hostages.

Benjamin Netanyahu
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Benjamin Netanyahu was effusive in his condemnation

Lib Dems and Greens: ‘Bargaining chip’

Sir Keir also faced accusations of using Palestinian state recognition as a “bargaining chip” by both the Lib Dems and the Green Party.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said a Palestinian state should have been recognised “months ago” and “far greater action” is needed to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

Jordanian military personnel prepare planes to deliver airdrops in Gaza on Monday
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Jordanian military personnel prepare planes to deliver airdrops in Gaza on Monday

Green Party foreign affairs spokesperson Ellie Chowns, who wants immediate state recognition, said it was a “cynical political gesture”.

Humza Yousaf, Scotland’s former SNP first minister, who revealed a family member was killed in Gaza days ago, told Sky News statehood “shouldn’t be dependent” upon the conditions Sir Keir has set for Israel, but is the “inalienable right” of the Palestinian people.

The British Palestinian Committee, representing Palestinian interests in the UK, described conditions as “absurd and performative”.

UK Jewish groups seek clarity

The Board of Deputies of British Jews, the UK’s largest Jewish organisation, said it was “seeking urgent clarification” that the UK will not recognise Palestine as a state if Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, or if Hamas keeps rejecting a ceasefire deal.

The Labour Friends of Israel group said it has “shared goals” with the government but state recognition “will be a merely symbolic act unless the UK uses its influence to establish the principles of a meaningful pathway to a Palestinian state”.

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Sarah Champion, Labour MP and chair of the international development committee, who started the MP letter calling for state recognition, said she was “delighted and relieved”.

However, she added: “I’m troubled our recognition appears conditional on Israel’s actions.”

When Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced the plan at a UN meeting, he received applause.

Not many other Labour MPs commented.

Tories accuse Starmer of appeasing MPs

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Sir Keir of being more focused on a “political problem for the Labour Party” than other issues facing the UK.

“Recognising a Palestinian state won’t bring the hostages home, won’t end the war and won’t get aid into Gaza,” she posted on X.

“This is political posturing at its very worst.”

Tory shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel said the announcement was “to appease his backbenchers” as “he knows that promises to recognise Palestine will not secure lasting peace”.

Pic: Reuters
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Aid trucks were allowed into Gaza on Tuesday. Pic: Reuters

Trump did not discuss statehood with Starmer

Donald Trump said he and Sir Keir “never did discuss” the PM’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state during their meetings in Scotland the day before.

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Trump responds to Sky question on Israel

However, Tammy Bruce, spokeswoman for the US state department, said Sir Keir’s plan is a “slap in the face for the victims of October 7”, which “rewards Hamas”, the Telegraph reported.

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Southport remembers ‘three little angels’ one years on from attack

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Southport remembers 'three little angels' one years on from attack

At St Marie’s Catholic Church in Southport, small photos of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancombe and Alice da Silva Aguiar stood on the altar. Candles burned next to them.

During lunchtime mass, Father John Heneghan, who gave Alice her first communion and then conducted her funeral, spoke quietly of the “three little angels” lost a year ago.

Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King.
Pic: Merseyside Police
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(L-R) Elsie Dot Stancombe, Alice da Silva Aguiar and Bebe King.
Pic: Merseyside Police

A town and a community, in small and quiet ways, remembered a horror that still haunts them.

St Marie’s was one of the locations chosen for the people of Southport to come and reflect, pray or light a candle in memory of the awful events of 29 July last year.

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Southport survivor ‘thought she was going to die’

Throughout the day, a handful of people have paused for a moment at community centres, libraries and churches.

The town had opted for very little outward show of commemoration.

After discussions, including with the families of the victims, they asked for people to instead donate to local causes, including the charities set up by those families themselves – Elsie’s Story, Bebe’s Hive and Alice’s WonderDance.

More on Southport Stabbings

They requested no flowers at the scene of the attack or the schools the girls attended.

“Let us continue to honour the lives of Alice, Bebe and Elsie,” the leader and chair of Sefton Council said in a letter to the community, “not only through remembrance but by holding onto the values they embodied – joy, creativity, kindness, and love.”

Flowers in the Town Hall Gardens in Southport, 1 year on from the stabbings
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Flowers left at Town Hall Gardens in Southport, near where three children were fatally stabbed a year ago. Pic: PA

Pic PA
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Pic PA

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At 3pm, people stopped to observe the three-minute silence in the town centre.

A few wiped away tears before spontaneous applause broke out.

In Southport’s Town Hall Gardens, which was the focal point of the public mourning a year ago, people again came to place flowers, toys and cards in memory of the victims.

Stones bearing messages of support to the families were also placed there.

“God bless to you three little angels,” read one card.

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Resident doctors threaten further strikes as government rules out additional pay hikes

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Resident doctors threaten further strikes as government rules out additional pay hikes

Resident doctors are not ruling out further strike action as their current walkout comes to an end, with some demands still unmet.

The latest strike began on Friday amid an ongoing row over pay and is expected to last until 7am on Wednesday.

Hospital leaders have urged the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government to end the strikes, which caused widespread disruptions throughout the NHS in England.

The BMA’s Resident Doctors Committee (RDC) says it is ready for further talks with the government but has yet to be contacted by Health Secretary Wes Streeting.

Dozens of resident doctors, previously called junior doctors, took part in a picket line on Tuesday at King George Hospital in Ilford, a facility serving the constituents of the health secretary.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting during a visit to NHS National Operations Centre in London to see how they manage industrial action. NHS resident doctors in England, formerly referred to as junior doctors, have begun a five-day strike after talks with the Government collapsed over pay. Picture date: Friday July 25, 2025. PA Photo. Wes Streeting has sent a personal letter to NHS resident doctors, saying "I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in" as they prepare to strike. The Health Secretary said while he cannot pledge a bigger pay rise, he is committed to progress to improve their working lives. Photo credit should read: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting visits the NHS National Operations Centre in London to see the response to the industrial action. Pic: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire

“Unfortunately, we haven’t heard from him yet. That doesn’t mean that he’s not going to call us tomorrow – our door is always open,” said Dr Melissa Ryan, who co-chairs the committee alongside Dr Ross Nieuwoudt.

Dr Nieuwoudt said: “There does not need to be a single other day of industrial action at all.

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“All Wes Streeting needs to do is come to us now and talk to us now, because that’s what doctors want and that’s what patients need.”

The union has also launched a related dispute with the government over limited training spots, as this year, over 30,000 resident doctors competed for only 10,000 specialty places.

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A recent poll of 4,400 doctors found that 52% finishing their second training year lack confirmed employment for August.

Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at NHS Confederation, said: “Resident doctors have recently had a very substantial increase in their pay and the government has been pretty clear that at the moment, there isn’t more money to be negotiated.”

Dr McCay said the government “is keen” to discuss non-pay issues, such as workforce conditions.

NHS resident doctors outside St Thomas' Hospital.
Pic: PA
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NHS resident doctors outside St Thomas’ Hospital. Pic: PA.

“I think that the hope of all healthcare leaders is that the BMA will get around the table with the government and figure out a solution to this, because what absolutely nobody wants to see is any further cases of industrial action after this one.”

Streeting has said the union can’t “hold the country to ransom” following a 28.9% pay increase over the past three years, the highest in the public sector.

The BMA has said pay for resident doctors has declined by a fifth since 2008, once inflation is taken into account, despite this uplift.

Meanwhile, health workers represented by the GMB and Unite unions have also turned down a government offer, raising the likelihood of additional industrial action within the NHS.

Nurses are also expected to turn down the pay deal later this week.

The Royal College of Nursing, which represents hundreds of thousands of nurses across the NHS in England, is balloting its members on the 3.6% pay award offered for 2025/26 in England.

A recent YouGov poll found that public opinion in Britain is divided over nurses striking for better pay. Among 4,300 adults surveyed, 19% “strongly support” nurse strikes, while 28% offer some support. In contrast, 23% “strongly oppose” the strikes, and 20% “somewhat oppose” them.

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