The King’s Speech offers a chance to rebuild victims’ trust in the justice system

On Wednesday, the King will formally open a new parliamentary session, with a speech setting out the government’s legislative programme and priorities for the year ahead. To many, it can feel like an exercise in pomp and ceremony, far removed from the realities of everyday life. But the King’s Speech is more than a state occasion. It is the government signalling the laws it intends to bring forward, the direction it wants to take, and the values it wants to project. 

In its election manifesto, the government was clear about its ambition for victims. It committed to reforming the justice system to ‘put the needs of victims first’. The King’s Speech, as the clearest statement of a government’s priorities, is therefore a key indicator of how that commitment is being translated into action – and of what the government’s vision for victims actually looks like. 

For many victims, the realities of our criminal justice system in 2026 are stark. The expectation should be simple: you suffer a crime, you report it, and the system steps in. You expect a process that is swift, fair and supportive. Instead, too many victims discover that the moment they report a crime, they enter a long, agonising wait for justice: for updates on their case, for access to crucial support, and for their day in court. 

That is why the state of our courts matters so much, and reform is so necessary. The scale of the challenge is no longer in dispute. Court backlogs are at record highs, cases take far too long to come to trial, and victims are left waiting – often for years – for resolution. It is a wait that deepens anxiety, prolongs trauma and offers little certainty about when, or whether, justice will arrive.  

The question now is not whether the system is under strain, but whether government and Parliament have the determination to confront that reality and see reform through – not just to relieve pressure in the short term, but to fix the problem properly. The King’s Speech needs to give victims confidence that this is lasting reform, not a temporary reset that leaves the system drifting back into crisis in a few years’ time. 

But the criminal courts are not the only part of our justice system where victims are being failed. 

There is another arena, far less visible but no less consequential, that shapes the lives of victims and children every day: the family courts. Operating largely behind closed doors, these courts make decisions about contact, custody and parental responsibility that can expose victims and children to further harm – often with limited scrutiny and accountability. 

Every day, some of the most vulnerable people in our society come before the family courts. Judges are asked to make profoundly difficult decisions, and the stakes could not be higher. The law is clear that a child’s welfare must be paramount. Yet there are widespread and persistent concerns about how effectively the family justice system recognises, weighs and responds to evidence of harm to children and to the parents who care for them. 

Too often, decisions are shaped by outdated assumptions and a ‘pro‑contact’ culture that can override child safety considerations. Warning signs are missed, risks are minimised and unsafe arrangements are made – with profound consequences for children and survivors of abuse. 

That is why reform of the family justice system is long overdue. A Family Justice Bill is needed – one that places child safety first, is grounded in evidence rather than outdated myths and preconceptions, and treats survivors of abuse with fairness rather than suspicion. It’s about ensuring that the family courts do what they are meant to do: protect children from harm, uphold equality before the law, and command the confidence of the families they serve. The King’s Speech is the moment to signal whether this government is prepared to confront these failures and set a clear direction for reform.  

Taken together, these challenges point to a wider problem. 

In recent years, we have seen a succession of significant justice reforms: sentencing changes, reforms to our courts, updates to victims’ rights, and major structural change across policing and criminal justice. Each may have merit in isolation. But without a clear, shared vision across government and justice agencies, there is a real risk that these reforms pull in different directions – leaving victims to bear the consequences of unintended outcomes, piecemeal change and policy blind spots. 

It also risks missing the glaring issues victims face daily that make their experience of the justice system so poor. The Victims’ Code sets out what victims should be able to rely on after a crime: respectful treatment, clear and timely information, and access to appropriate support. Yet victims routinely describe a justice process marked by long delays, poor communication and responses that can compound victims’ trauma, not ease it. Too many feel abandoned as they try to navigate a complex system alone, unsure of who to turn to, having to chase answers, and not being able to trust the system will do what it says it will.  

If the Government is serious about improving the victim experience, it must address these systemic failings head‑on – not with incremental fixes, but with a clear, coherent and fundamentally new approach to how victims are supported throughout their journey. 

There is a reason the last government published a cross‑government Victims’ Strategy in 2018. It recognised that legislation alone could not fix a system in which victims’ experiences were too inconsistent and too often poor. We now need a renewed Victims’ Strategy to meet the realities of today’s justice system. 

More than anything, a renewed Victims’ Strategy can set out the government’s vision for victims, articulate what “good” looks like, and provide a framework against which progress can be judged. 

I know the King’s Speech cannot answer all of these questions. But it is the moment when priorities are revealed. Too often, victims have seen reform delivered in short‑term, reactive bursts – measures designed to ease immediate pressure, but which leave the underlying problems unresolved.  

If victims are truly to be ‘put first’, this Speech must break that pattern by setting out a clear, coherent vision for victims and the direction of travel for the justice system as a whole – not just for the next year, but for the next decade.