UK courts on the brink: ex-judge urges sweeping overhaul to clear backlogs
Former senior judge Sir Brian Leveson warns England and Wales’ court system is on the brink of collapse due to record trial backlogs that could reach 100,000; his final report calls for 130 efficiency reforms across courts, prisons, prosecutors and police—including more video remote hearings, allowing prison vans to use bus lanes, better case preparation, AI tools, and a dedicated criminal justice adviser—and says piecemeal fixes won’t suffice; the government will respond in coming weeks, with the backlog worsened since the pandemic and some cases delayed into 2030.
