Courts and Tribunals Bill
“At the heart of the reforms before us today is one word and a simple question.
The word is victims, and the question is this: how do we ensure that victims actually receive the justice they are promised?
Before coming to this place, I served as a police officer across three different forces. During that time, I saw firsthand the impact crime has on people’s lives.
I met victims at some of the worst moments they will ever experience— often after deeply traumatic incidents. What always stayed with me was the faith victims' place in the justice system.
They believe that if they report what has happened, come forward and endure the stress of an investigation and a trial, the system will ultimately deliver justice. They believe the institutions of this country—the police, the courts and the rule of law—will stand behind them.
When victims report a crime, they are making a promise to us and the justice system. The least we can do is make sure the justice system keeps its promise to them.
Today, far too often, that faith is being tested.
I regularly meet victims who speak about the anxiety and sheer exhaustion that come with waiting for their case to reach court.
Many have done everything we have asked of them—reported the crime, given evidence and supported the investigation—only to be left waiting months and even years for a conclusion.
Through my work on the Justice Select Committee, I have heard extensive evidence about the state of our courts, and the reality is stark.
The Crown Court backlog has more than doubled since 2019. Trials are taking longer, and for some of the most serious offences—particularly rape and sexual assault—victims are waiting well over a year on average for their cases to conclude.
Behind those numbers are real people: victims who cannot move on with their lives, families left in limbo, and witnesses forced to relive traumatic experiences as hearings are delayed or postponed.
Justice delayed really does become justice denied.
Before going further, I want to recognise the people who keep our justice system running.
Our magistrates, judges and court staff do extraordinary work. Magistrates give up their time voluntarily to serve the public and uphold the rule of law in their communities.
Too often, we talk about the pressures on the justice system without recognising the people holding it together. They deserve our gratitude—but they also deserve a system that properly supports the work they do.
And that is why I support many of the reforms in this Bill.
The reality is that the system is under immense pressure. Cases today are more complex than ever before. Digital evidence, mobile phone data and modern forensic techniques have improved the fairness of trials—but they have also made cases longer and more demanding to process.
The measures in the Bill seek to address that.
Giving magistrates greater sentencing powers will allow more cases to be resolved in the magistrates' court, freeing up Crown Court capacity for the most serious offences.
Similarly, allowing courts greater flexibility in determining where cases should be heard helps ensure that the most serious crimes are not competing for court time with cases that could be resolved more quickly elsewhere.
Another important aspect of the Bill is the modernisation of the court.
For too long, our justice system has lagged behind the technology available to it.
Victims still face unnecessary barriers when trying to access transcripts or understand the progress of their case.
Using technology more effectively can make the system faster, more transparent and more accessible.
And finally, I want to briefly address the removal of the presumption of parental involvement from the Children Act.
For many years, survivors of domestic abuse have raised concerns about what has sometimes been described as a “pro-contact culture” within parts of the family court system.
Organisations such as PEEPSA, which supports survivors of post-separation abuse, have welcomed the Government’s decision to repeal the presumption of parental involvement. They have long warned that a pro-contact culture can risk sidelining the safety of children and survivors.
Children must never be used as a tool through which abuse continues after separation.
Removing the presumption sends a clear message that the child’s welfare must always come first.
So, of course, reforms of this scale will rightly be scrutinised as it progresses.
But the alternative—doing nothing—is simply not acceptable.
Without reform, the backlog will grow, victims will continue to wait, and confidence in our justice system will continue to erode.
Justice is the foundation of public confidence in our country. When victims lose faith in the system, the rule of law itself begins to weaken.
This Bill is about restoring that faith—and ensuring that when victims come forward, the justice system is ready to stand behind them.
For that reason, I am pleased to support it today.”
