Up to £34 million a year is proposed to strengthen criminal legal aid and ease court backlogs
The Government has announced proposals to invest up to £34 million a year in criminal legal aid, including higher fees for barristers, as part of plans to reduce court delays, strengthen the legal aid sector and help more criminal cases progress through the courts.
Published by the Ministry of Justice on 15 July 2026, the package includes an average 11% increase in fees for barristers undertaking legal aid work. Barristers handling rape and other serious sexual offence cases would receive fee increases of more than 13%, with some guilty plea cases attracting increases of almost 50%. The Government said the enhanced rates reflect the complexity of this work and are intended to support faster justice for victims.
The proposals also include £3.5 million already allocated for preparatory fees to improve trial readiness. According to the Ministry of Justice, the wider investment is designed to help attract and retain criminal legal aid barristers, increasing capacity across the profession and enabling more cases to be heard.
For solicitors, the key practical implication is that the Government is consulting on changes to the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme affecting remuneration for pre-trial work, guilty pleas and appeal-related advocacy. Firms involved in criminal defence should review the consultation proposals and assess how any revised fee structure could affect case preparation, advocacy arrangements and funding claims if the reforms are implemented.
Alongside the proposed fee increases, the Government is consulting on higher payments for cases where defendants enter guilty pleas, as well as for plea and trial preparation hearings. Further proposals cover advocacy in magistrates’ court appeals, Court of Appeal cases, committals for sentence, post-sentencing hearings in the Crown Court and selected pre-trial hearings. The Ministry of Justice said the reforms are intended to better reflect the complexity and preparation required in these cases while supporting junior barristers and helping to develop a sustainable legal aid workforce.
Minister for Courts and Legal Services Sarah Sackman KC MP said victims should not face unnecessary delays in seeing justice delivered. She said the investment would strengthen the criminal legal aid sector, enable more cases to be heard and help reduce the court backlog.
The Ministry of Justice noted that the Crown Court backlog currently exceeds 80,000 cases. It said the legal aid investment forms part of wider reforms, including the Courts and Tribunals Bill, aimed at improving court capacity and delivering a stronger, more sustainable justice system.