Review led by Sir Brian Leveson will consider creating ‘intermediate courts’ heard by judge in bid to speed up trials

• Courts in crisis – what it means for claimants, the accused and justice system as a whole

Jury trials could be abandoned for some criminal cases in England and Wales under a radical overhaul proposed by ministers as the backlog of cases in crown courts hit a record high.

A review, to be led by the former high court judge Sir Brian Leveson, will consider creating new “intermediate courts” where cases could be heard by a judge flanked by magistrates, in an attempt to speed up the length of trials.