Courts backlog soars by nearly 100,000 since Labour came to power, as ministers urged to drop controversial jury trial reforms

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 06:30 EDT, 24 September 2026 | Updated: 07:31 EDT, 24 September 2026 The courts backlog has soared by nearly 100,000 cases since Labour came to power, hitting a record high of more than 460,000.Ministry of Justice figures showed there was a new high of 80,829 cases waiting to be heard in Crown courts in England and Wales at the end of June.And in the magistrates’ courts the figure was 380,230, up 9 per cent in a year.It gave a combined backlog of 461,059, up 98,725 on the figure at the end of June 2024, a few days before the last General Election.Serious delays in the Crown court are getting worse, the data showed.There were 23,706 cases that had been waiting for a court slot for more than a year, up 22 per cent in a year.Labour has been pursuing controversial changes to the courts system which will see the historic right to jury trial scrapped for thousands of cases a year.A Bill introducing the changes is due back before Parliament next month.Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said: ‘Labour have spent their time in office attacking our ancient right to a jury trial, rather than taking effective action to tackle the courts crisis.‘With both the Crown court and magistrates’ court now facing record backlogs, Labour's proposals to simply shift the problem from one part of the court system to another are dead in the water.‘We all know that Andy Burnham entered office without a plan.‘Rather than passing the buck and trying to restrict jury trials, Labour need to increase efficiency, get the courts sitting and clear the backlogs to ensure justice is done.’The Crown court backlog at the end of June was up by less than half a percentage point on the previous quarter, suggesting the number of cases waiting to be heard had stabilised. The courts backlog in England and Wales has risen by almost 100,000 since Labour came to power in July 2024Chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, Andrew Thomas KC, said: ‘It is good news that the Crown court backlog is coming under control, but we can still do far more to reduce trial waiting lists far faster.‘The Courts and Tribunals Bill returns to Parliament next month and we are waiting to hear what changes Andy Burnham and [Justice Secretary] Alex Norris will make to their proposals.‘Juries have not caused the Crown court backlog, and restricting the right to trial by jury is not the solution.’Mr Thomas added it was ‘worrying’ that magistrates’ courts had ‘not fared so well’, and called for ‘extra investment’ across the criminal courts.Courts minister Sarah Sackman said: 'These record-breaking figures lay bare the scale of the challenge facing our courts, with victims waiting far too long for justice – that’s why it’s our priority to reduce the backlog so that cases are heard sooner and victims get the justice they deserve.'We’re already acting on all fronts – investing in our courts at record levels, embracing new technology, and the Courts and Tribunals Bill will return to Parliament in October – helping drive the changes needed to bring down the backlog and deliver faster and fairer justice.'