UK lifts court sitting cap with £2.8B funding to clear 80,000-case criminal backlog, aiming for recovery by 2035.

The UK government is lifting the cap on crown court sitting days in England and Wales to tackle an 80,000-case criminal backlog, backed by a £2.785 billion funding boost for courts and tribunals in 2026/27. The move, part of broader reforms, includes increased use of AI, judge-only trials for lower-level offenses, and expanded magistrates’ court capacity. While some legal groups welcome the changes as essential, concerns remain over jury trial reductions and staffing shortages. Officials project the backlog could peak at 100,000 by 2028, with full recovery expected by 2035.