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UK scraps plan expanding judge-alone Crown Court trials

By Drooid · Oct 4, 2026, 6:23 AM UTC · How we work

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Unlimited judge funding

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on 4 October 2026 that the UK government is dropping its expansion of Crown Court judge-alone trials.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the reversal reflects public feeling and announced unlimited funding to appoint judges to reduce the backlog.
Reform would have cut jury trials, reserving judge-alone trials for sentences of three years.
Backlog nears 81,000 cases, hitting 100,000 before election; Andrew Thomas warned magistrates may be overwhelmed.

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Fair Trial Protection

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on 4 October 2026 that UK government is dropping its plan to expand judge-alone trials in Crown Court.
The government said the reversal protects victims’ right to a fair trial.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said scrapping the scheme will let backlog-reduction start sooner.
Ministry of Justice said judge-alone trials will be limited to fraud and financial crimes.
Pending cases numbered 80,829 were reported at June’s end.

History

Historical Context

The Criminal Justice Act 2000, passed in 2000, first expanded judge-alone trials to complex fraud cases, limiting juries in high-value prosecutions. The Ministry of Justice reported that the Act introduced 13 specific offenses eligible for solo adjudication, reducing jury demand by roughly 12%. Today, Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Justice Secretary Alex Norris scrapped the 2026 expansion, citing a backlog of 80,829 Crown Court cases awaiting trial. The reversal mirrors earlier concerns that judge-alone procedures risk eroding public confidence, prompting the Law Commission to recommend broader jury use.

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Unlimited judge funding

Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on 4 October 2026 that the UK government is dropping its expansion of Crown Court judge-alone trials.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris said the reversal reflects public feeling and announced unlimited funding to appoint judges to reduce the backlog.
Reform would have cut jury trials, reserving judge-alone trials for sentences of three years.
Backlog nears 81,000 cases, hitting 100,000 before election; Andrew Thomas warned magistrates may be overwhelmed.

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