Wales’ top lawyer has vowed to challenge Ministry of Justice proposals to limit appeal rights and scrap jury trials for crimes with a likely sentence of three years or less.

Counsel General Julie James committed to raising concerns with UK counterparts because justice is largely non-devolved.

Last week, the Ministry of Justice unveiled plans for judge-only “swift courts” in Wales and England to fast track cases to cut delays due to a backlog in the justice system.

Answering questions in the Senedd on 9 December, Ms James agreed with her Labour colleague Mick Antoniw who described the plans as the “wrong way to go”.

The former solicitor said she would raise the issue during a meeting of the inter-ministerial group on justice.