UK government pledges funding to train barristers and tackle court backlogs

The UK government has pledged £1.5 million annually to fund the training of 100 additional barristers each year. This initiative aims to increase diversity within the legal profession and address the significant backlog in crown courts, which stood at 80,061 outstanding cases at the end of March.

However, legal representative groups have raised concerns regarding the broader £34 million funding plan intended to bolster the criminal legal aid sector. The Bar Council and the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) warned that the current structure of fee increases may disproportionately affect women. They noted that the plan includes a 30% fee uplift for guilty pleas but lacks an increase for daily trial attendance fees.

Because guilty pleas are less common in rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO)—cases frequently handled by female barristers—representatives argue the plan could drive practitioners away from these sensitive areas. They cautioned that this could exacerbate delays and victim attrition in sexual violence cases.