The Prime Minister opened Cabinet by inviting the leaders of the
Commons and the Lords to update on business in both houses,
including the Budget debate later this evening.
Turning to Ukraine, the Prime Minister said the conflict had now
been running for four years, with a huge impact on Ukraine and
its civilians. He noted Russia, the aggressor in the war, was
losing 5,000 young men each week because of the obsession of one
man, President Putin. The Prime Minister said the impact of the
conflict was also felt at home, not least through significantly
higher energy prices. The Prime Minister said the UK and
international partners were attempting to secure a just and
lasting peace for Ukraine, but a number of issues still had to be
worked through. There had been a number of calls with the
President of United States, the President of Ukraine and E3
countries, as well as the continued efforts of the Coalition of
the Willing, where more than 200 military planners from 35
countries continued vital work preparing for peace.
The Prime Minister then turned to the Deputy Prime Minister for
an update on criminal justice reforms. The Deputy Prime Minister
said prisons and the court system had borne the brunt of
austerity. The courts backlog now stood at 80,000 and would hit
100,000 without reform. That meant delayed justice, failing
victims of crime and witnesses giving up on giving evidence in
cases. The Deputy Prime Minister said 90 per cent of cases are
dealt with in magistrates' courts, with ten per cent going to the
Crown Court. Of that ten per cent, seven per cent plead guilty -
leaving just three per cent of all Crown Court cases being heard
before a jury. He then set out details of the reforms which will
be announced in the House later today.
