Leveson's Independent Review of Criminal Courts

Last updated: 14 January 2026

In 2024, the government announced Sir Brian Leveson would be undertaking an independent review of the criminal courts and provide recommendations to reduce the backlog of cases, which is now approaching 80,000, with trials being listed for 2030.

In July 2025, Part I (the policy review) of the ‘Independent review of the criminal courts’, by Sir Brian Leveson, commissioned by the Ministry of Justice was published. We welcomed the focus on diversion from the criminal justice system but warned against proposals to remove jury trials.

The government responded to part 1 in December 2025 and set out a package of measures, including the proposal to curtail jury trials in England and Wales for crimes that carry a likely sentence of less than three years.

Justice needs juries

Support our campaign opposing the curtailment of jury trials.

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Our position

We have continuously opposed proposals to curtail jury trials because there is no evidence that their removal would reduce the backlog nor has it been set out how an alternative system would be resourced. This change would compromise public trust and confidence in our criminal justice system
The criminal justice system and criminal Bar desperately need further investment, including match-funding criminal pupillages
The government should remove the cap on sitting days to ensure courts can work at full capacity to reduce the backlog
An immediate uplift of 15% to criminal prosecution and defence fees to provide enough publicly funded barristers to meet the demand
Criminal procedure rules should be amended to provide greater flexibility for hearings and to allow virtual courts which do not require a court room

Read a summary of our submission to the review

Read the latest government statement from December 2025: 'Swift and fair' plan to get justice for victims - gov.uk

Our work

Executive summary of our submission to the independent review of the Criminal Courts, chaired by Sir Brian Leveson
Our response to the recommendations in Sir Brian Leveson's Part I report, sent to the Lord Chancellor in August 2025
Chair of the Bar 2025, Barbara Mills KC met with the Lord Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy in October 2025
Chair of the Bar 2025,Barbara Mills KC met with Sir Brian Leveson in November 2025
Our Public Affairs team have lobbied MPs for support: Opposition Day Debate (Jan 2026) briefing for MPs and Westminster Hall Debate (Oct 2025) briefing for MPs
Worked with in collaboration with partner organisations, including the Inns of Court, Specialist Bar Associations and Circuits, to continue to represent the Bar and lobby for changes to improve the criminal justice system for legal professionals, defendants, witnesses and victims
Worked with media outlets to publicise the Bar’s views

What you can do

Support our campaign, Justice needs juries, and take the following actions. Find out more about our campaign

Write to your MP

We encourage you to write to your local MP(s) to voice your concern on the curtailing of jury trials and ask them to raise this issue in Parliament on your behalf.

Download our template letter to send to your MP
Find your MP via this website: Find your MP - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament
Add the MP's address, and your address (so that your MP can identify you as a constituent)
Edit the "Dear [name]" and body of the email according to your practice area, as well as any personal thoughts (optional)
Sign and send. We would appreciate it if you could CC [email protected] - this will allow us to track how many MPs have been contacted, and help with further Bar Council engagement.

Opposition Day Debate: Jury Trials

Thank you to all those who wrote to their MPs, and supported in sharing information, regarding the Opposition Day debate in Parliament on jury trials.

Watch the full debate from 12:50:15

Further resources

Media coverage

13 January 2026: Kirsty Brimelow KC discusses jury trials | A Lawyer Writes

13 January 2026: Kirsty Brimelow KC before the Justice Select Committee on jury trials – listen from 12:11 BBC Radio 4, Today in Parliament

13 January 2026: Restricting right to jury trial - Kirsty Brimelow KC interview – listen from 01:26:11 LBC, Steve Holden Show

13 January 2026: Sackman faces MPs amid rumours jury curbs will be 'watered down' | Law Gazette

13 January 2026: Kirsty Brimelow KC speaks on plans to restrict jury trials | The Lancashire Telegraph

13 January 2026: Political opinion with Keiran Mullan MP: Why jury trials matter and why Parliament is pushing back | Sussex Express

11 January 2026: Slashing jury trials could clear courts backlog within a decade, says Lammy | The Guardian

9 January 2026: Kirsty Brimelow KC sets out our opposition to jury trials | Sky News

7 January 2026: Bar leader calls for a rethink on juries | The Times

5 January 2026: Four Bars oppose plans for juryless trials in England and Wales | Irish Legal News

2 January 2026: Doughty Street silk becomes Bar Council chair as battle lines are drawn up over UK jury reform Global Legal Post

31 December 2025: Chair Kirsty Brimelow KC interview on jury trials - listen from 53:25 BBC Radio 4, Today programme

29 December 2025: British and Irish bars join hands to condemn Lammy’s jury plan | Law Gazette

29 December 2025: Top barristers oppose Labour attack on jury trials | The Telegraph

18 December 2025: David Lammy Must Re-Think Plans To Remove 'Long-Held Rights' To Jury Trials, Says Former Judge | HuffPost

3 December 2025: Lawyers are furious over plans to ditch juries | The Times

2 December 2025: Justice Secretary to set out reforms to tackle ‘courts emergency’ | The Independent

2 December 2025: Lammy lambasts ‘courts emergency’ as he prepares to face MPs over plans to slash jury trials | Trial by jury | The Guardian

25 November 2025: Jury trials to be scrapped except for alleged rapists and killers | The Times

24 November 2025: It’s not jury trials that have left Britain’s justice system in crisis | Trial by jury | The Guardian

Our press releases

Four Bars joint statement on jury trials in England and Wales

Since the government announced its proposal to restrict the right to a jury trial in response to Sir Brian Leveson’s criminal courts review, the Bar of England and Wales has argued that justice needs juries. Now, the Four Bars of England and Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Scotland have made a joint statement, urging the UK government to change course.

29 December 2025
Press release

Bar leaders’ statement on government’s response to Leveson’s Review of Criminal Courts

The Bar leaders have issued a joint statement in response to the news the government plans to curtail the right to jury trials.

4 December 2025
Press release

Bar Council urges government not to pursue changes to jury trial under mistaken belief that radical equals effective

The Bar Council has issued an initial response to the government's package of measures announced in response to Sir Brian Leveson's review of criminal courts. The Bar's representative body has warned that progress risks being undermined by proposals that compromise public trust and confidence in our criminal justice system through curtailing jury trials.

2 December 2025
Press release

Bar leadership joint statement on jury trials

The Bar leaders met following the leak of a government memo on the response to Sir Brian Leveson's report

27 November 2025
News

Jury trials have not caused the criminal justice system crisis - Bar Council

The Bar Council has warned that curtailing the right to jury trials may result in a further lack of trust and confidence in our criminal justice system.

25 November 2025
Press release

Bar Council welcomes increase to Crown Court sitting days but warns long-term investment is needed to reduce case backlog

"Continuing to limit the number of sitting days will mean the backlog is only being chipped away. To have an immediate and significant impact on the delays, there should be no limit to the number of days that courts can sit."

1 October 2025
Press release

Leveson report: diversion welcome but no need to curtail trial by jury, warns Bar Council

Our initial response to Part I of the Independent review of the criminal courts

9 July 2025
Press release

Spending Review is sign of listening to voices from the courts – Bar Council reaction

The Bar Council has welcomed the overall settlement for justice in the Spending Review.

11 June 2025
Press release

New report reinforces perilous state of criminal justice, Bar Council says

A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies has found that Crown Court productivity had recovered to post-pandemic levels by the end of last year, yet the record high backlog continues to rise.

6 June 2025
Press release

Year of the review: Bar Conference examines Bar’s culture, public inquiries and future of justice

Bar Conference will this year examine the Bar's culture, whether public inquiries deliver in the public interest, the future of justice and much more.

29 April 2025
Press release

Investment in probation step in the right direction, Bar Council says

The Bar Council said the announcement recognises that we need a properly resourced regime that reduces crime and increases public confidence and safety in our justice system.

13 February 2025
Press release

Juryless trials ‘not the answer’ to court crisis, barristers warn

The Bar Council has objected to the introduction of intermediate courts and made alternative recommendations, including a new model for diversion, in its submission to the Leveson review of criminal justice.

6 February 2025
Press release

Criminal legal aid increase for solicitors: Bar Council reaction

The government has announced additional funding for criminal legal aid solicitors

20 December 2024
Press release

Increasing court sitting days is the right decision

The government has announced an extra 2,000 sitting days

18 December 2024
Press release

Blogs

Beware speed over safety: after the Leveson review

Tim Kiely explores what the next steps are for criminal justice following part one of the Leveson independent review of criminal courts.

Guest blog: How will restricting jury trial and reducing jury numbers affect the delivery of justice?

10 July 2020: Tana Adkin KC, barrister at Charter Chambers and member of the Bar Councils Retention Panel, looks in-depth at the many reasons why jury trials should not be tampered with

Key resources

Independent Review of the Criminal Courts: Part 1 - GOV.UK

Executive summary of our submission to the independent review of the criminal courts