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

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

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Affairs, D. B. H. (2026, September 24). Courts backlog soars by nearly 100,000 since Labour came to power, as ministers urged to drop controversial jury trial reforms. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16156935/Courts-backlog-soars-nearly-100-000-Labour-came-power-ministers-urged-drop-controversial-jury-trial-reforms.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

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Quick Summary

The courts backlog in England and Wales has reached a record high of over 460,000 cases since Labour took power in July 2024, with nearly 100,000 additional cases compared to June 2024. The Crown court backlog alone stands at 80,829 cases, up 22% from the previous year, while magistrates’ courts have a backlog of 380,230 cases, marking a 9% increase in one year. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy criticizes Labour for proposing controversial reforms that would limit jury trials instead of addressing court delays effectively.

Written by AI on 2026-09-24, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

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The courts backlog in England and Wales has increased by nearly 100,000 cases since Labour took power in July 2024, reaching a record high of over 460,000 pending cases. According to Ministry of Justice figures at the end of June, there were 80,829 cases waiting in Crown courts and 380,230 in magistrates’ courts. The backlog is particularly concerning for serious delays in Crown court trials, with 23,706 cases pending for more than a year, marking a 22% increase from the previous year. Labour's proposed reforms to strip thousands of cases annually of their right to jury trial are facing opposition from critics like Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, who claims these changes attack ancient legal rights rather than addressing court backlogs effectively.

Written for “Courts Backlog Crisis” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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Who wrote this

David Barrett Home Affairs

25 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 Huge concessions to Labour MPs who opposed the original plan mean that out of 1.9million foreign nationals due to become eligible for settlement by 2030 only 500,000 will end up waiting longer.

2026-11-02 · assertive framing · Labour U-turns on immigration crackdown: Home Secretary retreats over crackdown on settlement rights after Left-wing revolt

🔮 Plans to toughen immigration rules are expected to be massively watered down on Monday after a highly damaging battle within the Labour party.

2026-11-01 · assertive framing · Shabana Mahmood poised to massively cut back immigration crackdown in wake of demands from Labour Left-wing

🔮 Labour will spend another £150million on new large-scale asylum accommodation centres, Budget documents revealed.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · Home Office gets £150million for more large-scale asylum centres, as Tories warn it shows Labour has 'no intention whatsoever' of stopping and deporting illegal immigrants

🔮 The scheme was launched at the beginning of the month and is set to see up to 50,000 prisoners let out early each year.

2026-10-27 · assertive framing · Labour refuses to reveal how many new crimes have been committed by prisoners freed under 'chaotic' new early release scheme

🔮 Labour announced in the summer that a social media ban for under-16s will come into force in March next year, although there is widespread concern that tech-savvy kids will circumvent the new rules.

2026-10-26 · assertive framing · Record 6,000 children are referred to Prevent as obsession with violence and extremism surges

🔮 Cowardly killers who refuse to come into court to be sentenced will face extra punishment – but only for a few weeks.

2026-10-21 · assertive framing · Cowardly killers who refuse to come to dock for sentencing face being locked in cell for three weeks and month-long ban on visits under new powers

🔮 Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy, who uncovered the £1.7million annual spending, said the cash would be better spent on new prison places as Labour frees tens of thousands of criminals a year early from jail.

2026-10-20 · assertive framing · What prison crisis? £2million a year is wasted on 'finding ways to say jails are racist' - as thousands of criminals are let out due to lack of space

🔮 She warned that leaving ILR rules untouched would result in ‘a £10 billion drain on our public finances’ as migrants qualify for full access to benefits and social housing after winning permanent status here.

2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Now Energy Secretary attacks her own Government's plan to make migrants wait longer to win permanent status in Britain

🔮 Kaur will be one of the most high-profile criminals to benefit from Labour's soft justice programme so far.

2026-10-15 · assertive framing · Mother of Henry Nowak's killer is to be freed from prison under Labour's early release scheme - after she was locked up for removing murder weapon

🔮 Mr Timothy said: ‘The Justice Secretary told the country that proper safeguards would be put in place, with the presumption that all released prisoners would be tagged.

2026-10-13 · assertive framing · Labour blasted over 'nonsense' claims on prisoner early release scheme, as soft justice bonanza sees another 650 criminals freed

Also by David Barrett Home Affairs

Labour U-turns on immigration crackdown: Home Secretary retreats over crackdown on settlement rights after Left-wing revolt

2026-11-02 · Daily Mail

Shabana Mahmood poised to massively cut back immigration crackdown in wake of demands from Labour Left-wing

2026-11-01 · Daily Mail

Home Office gets £150million for more large-scale asylum centres, as Tories warn it shows Labour has 'no intention whatsoever' of stopping and deporting illegal immigrants

2026-10-28 · Daily Mail

Labour refuses to reveal how many new crimes have been committed by prisoners freed under 'chaotic' new early release scheme

2026-10-27 · Daily Mail

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 25 articles by David Barrett Home Affairs →

Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source 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. asserted

figures → see → June

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. asserted

It → give → Election

Serious delays in the Crown court are getting worse, the data showed. asserted

data → get → court

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. asserted

that → be → 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. asserted

right → pursue → cases

A Bill introducing the changes is due back before Parliament next month. asserted

Bill → introduce → Parliament

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. asserted

Labour → say → 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. asserted

proposals → face → water

‘We all know that Andy Burnham entered office without a plan. asserted

Burnham → know → 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.’ asserted

justice → pass → backlogs

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 2024 Chairman 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. asserted

we → suggest → lists

‘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. asserted

Burnham → return → proposals

‘Juries have not caused the Crown court backlog, and restricting the right to trial by jury is not the solution.’ asserted

restricting → cause → jury

Mr Thomas added it was ‘worrying’ that magistrates’ courts had ‘not fared so well’, and called for ‘extra investment’ across the criminal courts. asserted

courts → add → courts

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

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Claims (14 extracted, 0 hedged)