The Labour whip has been suspended from Karl Turner, the Kingston upon Hull East MP, after his sustained criticism of the government's jury-trial reforms and related conduct.

Turner says he has not been formally notified of the suspension and has asked his solicitor to obtain a full explanation.

He abstained on the initial Commons test of the Courts and Tribunals Bill and has proposed amendments to remove measures that would steer more cases away from jury trials.

The reforms would move defendants to magistrate or judge-only trials if the likely sentence is under three years.

Turner referenced past comments from campaigner Jody McIntyre, saying he would have reconsidered participating had he known the interviewer's broader views.

He has long argued the reforms are unworkable and unjust and had signaled the possibility of quitting the Commons over them, potentially triggering a by-election.

Turner has criticized Labour leadership and other issues, including the handling of the Morgan McSweeney phone theft case and a party by-election defeat, describing internal matters as problematic.

He previously threatened to quit the Commons over the jury-trial proposals, which would reallocate some cases to crown court or magistrates’ courts with lower sentence caps.

Beyond jury trials, Turner drew attention to comments about Morgan McSweeney’s phone theft and to remarks made during the Jody McIntyre interview, which he says were misrepresented and corrected where needed.

Turner won his Kingston upon Hull East seat in 2024 with a majority of 3,920 over Reform UK, underscoring his electoral standing; the by-election trigger remains a possibility depending on the disciplinary outcome.

The suspension decision is described as temporary and will be reviewed at a later date, with Turner’s electoral standing cited as context for the stakes.

The by-election context is relevant, given Turner's 2024 majority and the potential impact on his seat if the suspension leads to a by-election.