Plans to free up crown courts to deal with serious crimes swiftly and hand more support to victims are set to be announced by the Justice Secretary as part of efforts to tackle the “courts emergency”.

David Lammy, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, will lay out reforms to overhaul the system on Tuesday, amid reports jury trials could be limited to the most serious offences such as rape and murder.

The move to give victims the “swift justice they deserve” comes amid a record-high backlog of crown court cases totalling more than 78,000, and trials listed as far as 2030.

Ministers have warned the backlog could rise to 100,000 by 2028 if nothing is done, with a growing number of victims giving up on seeking justice because of the lengthy delays.

Mr Lammy said: “Today I am calling time on t

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