Figures from the Ministry of Justice show that in the second quarter of this year, the time between a crime occurring and a case being resolved in court was 622 days – up from 368.

Jo Sidhu QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said: “No government can be taken seriously about their commitment to tackle violence against women unless and until we see a massive and sustained investment right across the criminal justice system to increase charging rates, which have been alarmingly low for police-reported rape, and ensure those cases that do make it to court don’t have to wait years to be resolved.

“Investing in not just courts but the prosecutors and defenders who keep our creaking criminal justice system from collapse, is the only sustainable way to reduce this unacceptable backlog of cases and needless delay to trials, otherwise victims of crime will continue, understandably, to feel forgotten.”

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: “With new super court rooms, the extension of the Nightingale Courts into 2022 and limit-free sitting days in crown courts, we will restore the swift access to justice that victims deserve.”