On Monday 12 October 2026, the Ministry of Justice published its response to Lord Leveson's Criminal Courts Review, saying it accepts, or accepts in principle, the overwhelming majority of all 180 recommendations. As part of the plan, Virtual Remand Hearings, backed by £17.4 million, were to be piloted in at least four police force areas, with defendants attending their first hearing by secure video link from a police custody suite. The department cited early predictions that the technology could help courts address a criminal court backlog it described as currently at a record high.

Lord Chancellor Alex Norris said the review offered a blueprint for modernising the courts and tackling delays. The government also said it was investing up to £5 million to place specialist Case Coordinators in every Crown Court in England and Wales, and that legislation had been laid to expand broadcasting to some Administrative Court proceedings and sentencing remarks by the Chief Magistrate.

The response coincided with the Courts and Tribunals Bill returning to Parliament the following day, when the government said it would amend the Bill to remove proposals limiting jury trials.