Specialist courts designed to handle cases of rape and other serious sexual offences will be introduced across England and Wales over the next two years, the prime minister has announced.

Under the new measures, each crown court will be equipped with at least one courtroom specifically set up for these hearings. Victims will have the option to watch proceedings remotely and give their evidence from a separate room over a video link.

Courts will also offer private entrances and separate waiting rooms so victims do not have to cross paths with defendants, though the government notes that this will depend on the physical layout of each building.

The reforms are expected to cost around £23m from the Ministry of Justice's budget. As part of the rollout, court staff will receive trauma-informed training, a single point of contact will be assigned to each survivor, and from next month, trials will be allocated fixed dates rather than placed on uncertain floating lists.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the move was intended to "rebalance the scales of justice and put victims first." He acknowledged that prosecution rates remain "shamefully low" and added: "For too long, victims of rape and serious sexual offences have felt let down by our justice system."

Ministers said the changes follow the intervention of Labour MP Charlotte Nichols, who waived her right to anonymity in March to describe waiting more than 1,000 days for her case to reach court. Her attacker was acquitted in crown court before being ordered to pay compensation after she won a civil claim against him.

During that debate, Nichols criticised the Courts and Tribunals Bill's proposals to restrict jury trials to cases carrying potential sentences of three years or more, accusing then Justice Secretary David Lammy of using victims as a "cudgel" to push through reforms.

Victims' charities have responded positively to the specialist court announcement. Rape Crisis England and Wales described it as a "significant step forward," with chief executive Ciara Bergman noting that the measures reflect the urgency of making courts fit for purpose. Last year, the Salford Survivor Project warned that record backlogs were causing long delays that severely damaged victims' mental health and led some to drop their cases.

The Conservatives said tackling trial delays was "long overdue" but pushed the government to drop its plans to restrict jury trials. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy said victims withdrawing allegations due to delays had been a "disgrace," calling on Labour to keep courts sitting throughout the year rather than changing jury trial rights.

The plan builds on an earlier government measure this year granting rape victims access to specialist legal advice throughout the legal process, alongside Labour's 2024 manifesto pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

What remains unclear is exactly how individual court buildings will manage the physical alterations needed for private entrances, and how quickly the fixed-date scheduling will ease pressure on local lists.

The rollout begins next month, and I'll be keeping a close eye on how the changes work on the ground across England and Wales — check back for updates as this develops.