Courts minister Sarah Sackman said the court was “on the brink of collapse”
The UK Crown court backlog has reached 80,203 cases as of the end of December 2025, according to the justice ministry.
In a statement published by the Law Society Gazette, courts minister Sarah Sackman said the record-breaking volume of outstanding cases indicated that the court was “on the brink of collapse.”
“The scale of this crisis has left victims bearing the brunt of years of neglect, facing devastating delays. Through pragmatic reform, historic investment and increased efficiency, we are pulling every lever at our disposal to drive down the backlog. Victims have waited long enough – and we will deliver the swift, fair justice they deserve,” Sackman said.
The government said the backlog justified reducing jury trials. However, Criminal Bar Association vice-chair Andrew Thomas pointed out that the open caseload rose by just one percent in the last quarter.
“The decline in the rate of increase is before the removal of the cap on sitting days and other measures which will help bring the backlog down,” Thomas said in a statement published by the Gazette.
He added that the government’s prediction of the backlog hitting 135,000 by 2035 was starting to seem “wildly pessimistic.”
By contrast, the magistrates’ court backlog increased by four percent last quarter – and the government’s plan would see magistrates tackling more cases.
“While the Courts and Tribunals Bill progresses, cutting jury trials would do little to ease the backlog. The statistics show that moving more cases from the Crown court to the magistrates’ court is not the answer, as magistrates are already overwhelmed and facing growing delays of their own,” said Mark Evans, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, in a statement published by the Gazette.
The Courts and Tribunals Bill was introduced to parliament last month. It may return to the House of Commons for a third reading following its examination by MPs.
