Jack Straw drops plans for secret inquests

Justice Secretary Jack Straw has announced that the government is dropping plans to hold secret inquests without juries.

In a Commons written statement released on Friday, Mr Straw said that the amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill permitting non-jury inquests did not command enough cross-party support and will be removed before the Bill's second reading in the Lords on Monday.

Human Rights groups have applauded the decision as a "victory for open justice". Shami Chakrabarti, Director of Liberty said: "We welcome this sane and humble climb-down by the Lord Chancellor. It was completely bizarre for a Government that has spent over a decade lecturing the public about victims' rights to attempt to exclude bereaved families from open justice."

The amendments would have allowed the Home Secretary to decide that an investigation into a wrongful death, usually held in open court, should be held in secret. The government had argued that in some cases, inquests should be held in private for national security, crime prevention or diplomatic reasons.

Last year, MPs tabled a Commons cross-party bid to remove the provision for non-jury inquests, but this was eventually defeated by 263 votes to 229. In the face of such opposition, an additional amendment was proposed giving a judge, rather than the Home Secretary, authority to determine whether a "certified" inquest should be held without a jury.

Mr Straw now admits that these concessions had not gone far enough for critics.

In his statement on Friday, Mr Straw said: "The government felt these changes struck a fair and proportionate balance between the interests of bereaved families, the need to protect sensitive material and judicial oversight of the whole process.

"However, following further discussions in the House and with interested parties, it is clear the provisions still do not command the necessary cross-party support and in the circumstances the government will table amendments to remove clauses 11 and 12 from the bill."

Ben Ward, associate director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division, said: "This is something we very much welcome, I have been struck by the range of opposition to the proposals. It is particularly significant in situations where service personnel have died in friendly fire incidents. The government often wants these inquests to be closed to avoid any diplomatic tension, but then families wouldn't get to know what happened to their loved ones. Today is a victory for open justice."