Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Crown Court Backlog

Tuesday 8 July 2025 · 9 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 9 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Chris Vince (Lab/Co-op) noted that 20% of cases in Essex are discontinued due to victims withdrawing support, citing long delays as a major factor.
  • Jim Dickson (Lab) highlighted ongoing court delays in Dartford, questioning the assurance of reduced delays for constituents.
  • Vikki Slade (LD) raised concerns about case backlogs delaying justice for victims of stalking and online abuse, requesting a full response from the Government.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Chris Vince Labour (Co-op) Harlow
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog is affecting victims in Essex, with 20% of cases being stopped after a defendant has been charged due to victim withdrawal. This issue leads to delays and can result in justice being denied.

Question

In Essex, 20% of cases are stopped after a defendant has been charged because victims are dropping out and withdrawing their support. With some waiting years for their case to get through the courts, is it any wonder that they give up on justice? Does the Secretary of State agree that we need radical action now to stop the backlog from getting any bigger in places like my constituency of Harlow?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Victims on many occasions feel retraumatised by the criminal justice system because of the long delays. Defendants know that cases are taking too long to be heard; too many of them think that they can game the system, and that if they wait long enough, victims will drop out. That is why we are determined to deliver swifter justice for victims. It is why we have delivered a record number of sitting days in the Crown court this year, and it is why we will do once-in-a-generation reform of our courts after Sir Brian publishes his review.

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Q2 Jim Dickson Lab Dartford
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog is causing significant delays in Dartford, affecting residents who are waiting for their cases to be heard. This issue reflects the continued challenges inherited from previous governments.

Question

Thanks to the massive court delays inherited from the Conservatives, as the Secretary of State said, residents in Dartford continue to face huge delays in getting cases involving them to court. What assurance can she give that the delays will reduce, and that for my constituents, it will not continue to be a case of “justice delayed is justice denied”?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

My hon. Friend is absolutely right that the old adage, “justice delayed is justice denied”, has come true. We know that we need bold reform. We have to get the backlog down, and we have to deal with the rising and record demand coming into the system as well. That is why we have made a record allocation of Crown court sitting days, but we also need bold, once-in-a-generation reforms. His constituents and the country deserve nothing less.

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Q3 Adam Jogee Lab Newcastle-under-Lyme
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog has increased in the west midlands, affecting Newcastle-under-Lyme. The region is seeking reforms to speed up justice.

Question

The people of Newcastle-under-Lyme want thugs and criminals to be held to account and to feel the full force of the law, and victims of crime to get the justice they deserve. In the west midlands—the Lord Chancellor’s home region—the Crown court backlog has increased by over 3,000 cases since 2016. It is clear that we need an overhaul of the system, and to speed up justice. Will the Lord Chancellor tell us two things? When does she expect the Leveson report to be published, and what may it mean for the future of jury trials?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

The publication of Sir Brian Leveson’s review is due very soon. My hon. Friend will understand why I cannot give any the exact date, but once Sir Brian has published his findings, the Government will consider them in due course, and we will come to the House first with our full response. Jury trials will remain a cornerstone of our justice system in the most serious cases, but we have to recognise that they take five times longer than cases heard in magistrates courts, and magistrates courts already hear 90% of all criminal trials. With victims waiting so long for their day in court, we must ask whether there are cases being heard by juries today that need not be heard by juries in future.

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Q4 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

A constituent, Hannah, has faced multiple stalking incidents and online abuse from a family member. The perpetrator is still at large due to delays in the system.

Question

Hannah contacted me for the first time in August last year after numerous stalking incidents, online abuse and violent threats from a member of her family. He is still at large almost a year on, despite four arrests. The court date keeps being put back due to the backlogs. There have been further breaches of the bail conditions and a restraining order issued, but we have heard that a fourth trial will be delayed until 2026 at the earliest. What is the Lord Chancellor able to do to help victims who are already in the system, and who continue to be abused by a perpetrator?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

I will happily look at the details of the case that the hon. Lady raises. Some of that relates to charging and what the police and others are doing, but I will ensure that she gets a full response from across Government on some of the specifics. Let me observe that we make a whole range of victim support available to victims as they navigate the criminal justice system, and we will continue to do so; I recommend that she recommends some of those mechanisms to her constituent.

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Q5 Shockat Adam Ind Leicester South
Justice & Courts
Context

The Crown court backlog is particularly concerning in Leicester, where rape and sexual assault trials face delays of up to three years.

Question

The Crown court backlog stands at approximately 73,000 cases annually, and rape and sexual assault trials in Leicester Crown court face delays of up to three years. What steps is the Department taking to reduce that backlog and ensure that serious offences are brought to trial more efficiently to prevent further trauma for victims and the miscarriage of justice?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice)

I will happily look at the details of the case that the hon. Lady raises. Some of that relates to charging and what the police and others are doing, but I will ensure that she gets a full response from across Government on some of the specifics. Let me observe that we make a whole range of victim support available to victims as they navigate the criminal justice system, and we will continue to do so; I recommend that she recommends some of those mechanisms to her constituent.

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Q6 Shabana Mahmood Lab Birmingham, Ladywood
Justice & Courts
Context

The delays in the criminal justice system are causing trauma to victims. Shabana Mahmood references long waits for trials and the impact on individuals seeking justice.

Question

I am concerned about the delays in the system and the long waits for trials, which cause huge amounts of trauma to victims who regularly tell me that they feel retraumatised by the criminal justice system when they seek justice. I have made record funding available but recognise that the system cannot carry on as it has done for all these years.

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

I recognised right at the outset that the system cannot carry on as it has done for all these years. We need to ask a bigger question about the sorts of cases in our system that get a jury trial, and those that do not. This Government will pursue once-in-a-generation reform of our Crown courts.

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Q7 Andy Slaughter Lab Hammersmith and Chiswick
Justice & Courts
Context

In the past year, there have been cancellations in both magistrates court trials and Crown court trials due to delays by prisoner escort contractors. The hon. Member is concerned about this situation.

Question

Last year, 839 magistrates court trials and 186 Crown court trials had to be cancelled because the defendant was not brought to court on time by prisoner escort contractors. We expect Sir Brian’s report very shortly, which will have a range of proposals on how to reduce the unprecedented backlog in the Crown courts. Does my right hon. Friend agree that however effective those reforms prove to be, they will be undermined from the start unless the performance of contractors such as Serco improves?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

My hon. Friend is right that the performance of contractors needs to improve. He and I have discussed this issue regularly, including in oral questions regarding the contract for electronic monitoring. We monitor those contracts regularly and are determined to pursue once-in-a-generation reform. However, my hon. Friend will know that the whole system needs to become more productive and efficient. There will be a second part to Sir Brian Leveson’s work later this year which will look at productivity and efficiency across the criminal justice system.

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Q8 Richard Holden Con Basildon and Billericay
Crime & Law Enforcement Children & Families
Context

Research shows that 65% of boys with a parent in prison will go on to offend, indicating an intergenerational cycle of offending.

Question

One of the most important things we can do is reduce the number of cases going into the system by reducing reoffending where possible, including intergenerational reoffending. Given that 65% of boys with a parent in prison will go on to offend, what steps is the Secretary of State taking to ensure that the children of prisoners are properly identified and supported so they do not become the next generation of people in prison?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

Focusing on the children of prisoners was a manifesto commitment of our party because there is a cycle there that society needs to break, particularly for the children of male prisoners and especially their sons. We are leading work on joining up information sharing across Government to make sure those children are identified, properly supported and able to break the cycle of offending in their family.

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Q9 Josh Babarinde Lib Dem Eastbourne
Justice & Courts
Context

The Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone once said, “Justice delayed is justice denied.” The hon. Member believes that the current backlog in court systems inherited from previous governments should be a matter for shame.

Question

The Liberal Prime Minister William Gladstone was right when he said, “Justice delayed is justice denied”. He would look on the inheritance that this Government received from the Conservative Government as a matter for great shame. While creative solutions are required to tackle the backlog, the jury trial—which we hear may be at risk for some—is a critical safeguard on state power and key to a liberal and free society. Ahead of the Leveson report, which is coming out very soon, can the Government tell us how they will increase the overall capacity of the courts system to dispense justice as opposed to potentially undermining justice altogether?

Answer from Shabana Mahmood

I thank the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for his question but would challenge him on two points. I do not think we are undermining justice in this country when he himself recognises that justice delayed is justice denied. We are trying to properly think through, “What is a good system for us to proceed with in this country?” As he knows, 90% of all criminal cases already go to the magistrates court.

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