King’s Speech 2024: Justice

The Labour Party has set out its aim to reform the justice system in a way that would “put the needs of victims first, tackle the prisons crisis and cut reoffending”. The manifesto contained various commitments on criminal justice it said a Labour government would introduce.

To address the court backlog, Labour has committed to extending the powers of associate prosecutors and the victims’ commissioner, as well as introducing specialist courts to hear rape cases.

To increase prison capacity, the party has committed to designating prisons as being of ‘national importance’ to enable government ministers to have the final say when approving the building of new prisons.

The Labour Party has also committed to addressing historical injustices. For example, it said a Labour government would introduce a ‘Hillsborough law’ to place a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities.

The Library’s briefings for the King’s Speech draw on the Labour Party’s manifesto and other material in the public domain. They have been written in advance of the 2024 King’s Speech to help members of the House of Lords prepare for the debate on the speech. They do not constitute official information about the government’s intentions or provide a complete list of bills to be announced.