“Raising confidence in the … criminal justice system to its highest levels”
It’s unclear how the government intends to measure progress on this pledge or when it will deliver it by. Two surveys which offer relevant data don’t yet have figures for Labour’s time in government.
In its manifesto Labour said it would raise confidence in the criminal justice system “to its highest levels”.
The pledge is part of the party’s plan to “take back our streets”, one of the government’s five “missions to rebuild Britain”.
It seems likely this pledge relates only to England and Wales, as the criminal justice system in both is under the control of the UK government. The criminal justice systems of Scotland and Northern Ireland are largely devolved.
It’s not clear from the manifesto what measure the government intends to use to judge whether this pledge has been met—and that means it’s hard for us to know how far there is to go for confidence to reach the “highest levels”. It also isn’t clear when the pledge is intended to be delivered by.
The Ministry of Justice told us in March 2025 that it had yet to finalise how progress on this pledge will be measured.
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Although we don’t know what measure the government intends to use to monitor progress on this pledge, there are at least two surveys which provide information about public confidence in the criminal justice system. An annual survey carried out by the Victims’ Commissioner asks victims of crime about their individual experiences. The Sentencing Council also conducts an occasional survey in this area as part of its statutory duty to promote public confidence in the judicial system. However neither of these sources currently offer data covering the period since Labour took office in July 2024.
There have however been a number of initiatives which have the potential to affect levels of public confidence in the criminal justice system since Labour came to power.
In August 2024, in the aftermath of riots following the Southport stabbings, the Prime Minister announced the launch of a National Violent Disorder Programme, which the government said would “form part of the government’s mission to take back our streets by halving serious violent crime and raising confidence in the police and criminal justice system”.
On 5 November 2024, then-justice minister Heidi Alexander told the House of Commons the government had funded an additional 500 Crown Court sitting days in England and Wales and was extending magistrates’ sentencing powers to up to 12 months. Both measures were intended to “ensure swift justice for victims and to restore faith in the entire system”.
Measures designed to boost public confidence in policing and therefore the criminal justice system feature as part of the Crime and Policing Bill, which is currently being considered by Parliament.
As we develop this Government Tracker we’re keen to hear your feedback. We’ll be keeping the Tracker up to date and adding more pledges in the coming months.
Full Fact is monitoring the government’s delivery on its promises
Progress displayed publicly—so every single person in this country can judge our performance on actions, not words.
Sir Keir Starmer, Prime Minister – 24 September 2024