Shabana Mahmood MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, commenting on news rape victims are waiting a year or more for their day in court under the Tories, said:

“These harrowing figures are yet another reminder of how consecutive Conservative governments have ground our criminal justice system to a halt. Time and again, they have ignored the warnings about the impact of court closures, and have allowed the situation to deteriorate so far that they are failing to meet their own targets to fix it.

“Under this government, victims – including those of the most serious crimes – are waiting for far too long to see justice done. Our remaining courts are crumbling and prisons are so full they are releasing criminals early.

“Labour will turn the page on 14 years of Tory failure and put victims back at the heart of the system. We’ll stop victims going through the horrible experience of waiting months, sometimes years for justice, by opening specialist rape courts to fast-track cases and increase the number of staff working as crown prosecutors to drive down the backlog. We will stop the Tory chaos and get justice delivered swiftly.”