What does the pledge mean?

In its manifesto Labour said it would raise confidence in the criminal justice system “to its highest levels”. 

The pledge is part of the party’s plan to “take back our streets”, one of the government’s five “missions to rebuild Britain”.

It seems likely this pledge relates only to England and Wales, as the criminal justice system in both is under the control of the UK government. The criminal justice systems of Scotland and Northern Ireland are largely devolved.

It’s not clear from the manifesto what measure the government intends to use to judge whether this pledge has been met—and that means it’s hard for us to know how far there is to go for confidence to reach the “highest levels”. It also isn’t clear when the pledge is intended to be delivered by. 

We put these questions to the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice in early November 2024 and will update this page when we get confirmation of what measure will be used to assess progress.

What progress has been made?

Although we don’t know what measure the government intends to use to monitor progress on this pledge, there are at least two surveys which provide information about public confidence in the criminal justice system. An annual survey carried out by the Victims’ Commissioner asks victims of crime about their individual experiences. The Sentencing Council also conducts an occasional survey in this area as part of its statutory duty to promote public confidence in the judicial system. However neither of these sources currently offer data covering the period since Labour took office in July. 

There have been a number of initiatives which have the potential to affect levels of public confidence in the criminal justice system since Labour came to power. 

In August, in the aftermath of riots following the Southport stabbings, the Prime Minister announced the launch of a National Violent Disorder Programme, which the government said would “form part of the government’s mission to take back our streets by halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system”.

On 5 November 2024, justice minister Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons the government had funded an additional 500 Crown Court sitting days in England and Wales and was extending magistrates’ sentencing powers to up to 12 months. Both measures were intended to “ensure swift justice for victims and to restore faith in the entire system”.

Additional measures to raise confidence in the criminal justice system are likely to feature in legislation which was announced in the King’s Speech but has yet to be published. Notes accompanying the speech say this will “deliver on our mission to take back our streets by halving serious violence and increase confidence in policing and the Criminal Justice System”.