Lady Chief Justice highlights pressures and reform in 2026 press conference
The Courts and Tribunals Judiciary has published the transcript of its annual press conference held on 17 March 2026, inclusive of the speech delivered by the Lady Chief Justice, the Right Honourable the Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, at that conference. She reflected on her first three years in post, acknowledging that courts and tribunals continued to face sustained pressure, heavy workloads and increasingly complex cases. The Lady Chief Justice highlighted ongoing change, including three reviews and forthcoming retirements of senior judicial leaders, and restated her priorities: recognising and promoting judicial strengths, building judicial unity and reducing backlogs while improving timeliness. She noted progress under the Courts and Victims Bill and welcomed the move to uncapped sitting days in the Crown Court. Looking ahead, she outlined continued modernisation efforts, including the development of a national listing framework and an AI-based listing tool and announced a new leadership team scheduled to take office in October 2026.