Tories and Lib Dems unite against jury Bill

David Blunkett's plans to limit the right to trial by jury face a mauling today in the House of Lords. The Tories and Liberal Democrats are planning to unite against the Government to throw out clauses in the Criminal Justice Bill as time runs out for its passage through Parliament.

MPs reversed a series of changes to the Bill yesterday, putting back clauses limiting the right to trial by jury which peers had previously rejected.

A "ping-pong'' match looms for the Bill, which has until tomorrow night, when Parliament rises, to pass through both houses of parliament. The Tories and Liberal Democrats indicated last night that they would "stand firm" today over trial by jury.

But Home Office sources insisted that the trial-by-jury measure was a key part of ' plans to streamline the criminal justice system. They said the proposal would only apply to a handful of prosecutions, in complex financial cases and where there was a risk of jury nobbling. Ministers may force MPs and peers to sit late to stop the Bill collapsing and will come under pressure to make further concessions.

David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, accused David Blunkett of being "hectoring and intransigent".