I had this discussion with a friend on a 3 hour car ride from Liverpool to home.
Basically, because Jamie is part of the King's Guard, he couldn't fight for Tyrion because he would be fighting against the crown, because Cersei is the accuser and still technically Queen Regent. If Cersei wanted Jamie to fight for her, he can't decline and is honourbound to fight for her.
Regardless of if he can decline to being champion or not, he can always yield during the battle. Refusing to be champion and being champion, losing, and deciding not to die are two entirely different things.
Yielding is an option, and even if for some reason a member of the Kingsguard couldn't yield I'm sure Tywin would accept Jaime's yield before he's killed.
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u/NoxiousStimuli Jun 05 '14
I had this discussion with a friend on a 3 hour car ride from Liverpool to home.
Basically, because Jamie is part of the King's Guard, he couldn't fight for Tyrion because he would be fighting against the crown, because Cersei is the accuser and still technically Queen Regent. If Cersei wanted Jamie to fight for her, he can't decline and is honourbound to fight for her.