Courts backlog will fall despite scrapping of jury trial plan

Justice Secretary Alex Norris has announced the government is abandoning plans to curb jury trials in England and Wales. The previous administration had proposed judge-only trials for certain medium-level offenses to address the record court backlog, which currently stands at nearly 81,000 cases.

Despite this policy reversal, Norris insists that the backlog will decrease during this Parliament. The government plans to focus on structural reforms and increased funding for judges to improve system efficiency rather than limiting the right to a jury trial.