This Government inherited a criminal justice system in crisis - not just woefully underfunded, but unfit to deliver for our citizens in the 21st century.

The record and rising backlog we inherited now stands at almost 81,000 cases. Almost 24,000 of those cases have been open for more than a year, and the waits are getting longer. Behind each of those cases are people awaiting justice – victims and witnesses putting their lives on hold and defendants seeking to clear their name. This cannot be allowed to continue: justice delayed is justice denied and this government will not stand by.

That is why the Government commissioned The Rt Hon. the Lord Leveson of Liverpool to undertake an independent review and make recommendations for how to reform our criminal courts.

Today, we are laying before Parliament the full Government response to this review, and it will be made available on GOV.UK.

We are grateful to Lord Leveson and his team of expert advisers – Shaun McNally, David Ormerod, Chris Mayer, Jay Bangle and Katie Atkinson - for their comprehensive reports. Supported by an expert panel, Lord Leveson gathered evidence over many months to make recommendations for the modernisation of the system and ways to tackle the Crown Court backlog.

We are already acting on many of those recommendations. We accept the review’s central conclusion – that fixing this crisis necessitates us to pull all levers - investment, modernisation, and structural court reform.

We are investing at record levels in maximising court capacity: removing the financial limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit, increasing the number of qualified magistrates by 50%, increasing the numbers of district judges and investing up to £34 million more a year for criminal legal aid advocates, alongside £116 million invested in criminal legal aid solicitors. Across all jurisdictions, £287 million is being invested in the court estate to make vital repairs and upgrade digital systems.

We are committed to improving efficiency in the courts and have already announced measures such as the expansion of the safe use of AI, including exploring how AI can support with listing decisions and case readiness issues, recruiting specialist case progression staff across all Crown Court centres, and making greater use of efficient remote video hearings where appropriate.

The Courts and Tribunals Bill, currently before Parliament, introduces pragmatic structural reforms based on Lord Leveson’s recommendations. Measures in the Bill are designed to reduce pressure on the Crown Court, ensure proportionate use of limited court resources and redress the balance between victims and defendants.

Lord Leveson makes clear that every part of the criminal justice system has a role to play. As we respond to each of his 180 recommendations, we reaffirm our commitment to working as one joined-up system to modernise and improve our criminal courts. We will work collectively across Government and with our agencies and criminal justice partners to transform the system.

The criminal justice system can only operate with the confidence and consent of the public it seeks to serve. Our responsibility is not simply to tackle the delays we face today, but to build that justice system ready for the demands of tomorrow: one that is resilient, responsive and capable of delivering justice and accountability when people need it. That is the system our citizens should be able to expect, and that is the system this Government is determined to deliver.

https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wms/?id=2026-10-12.hcws360.0