The scheme will allow judges, defendants, lawyers, witnesses and court staff to participate remotely, enabling cases to be transferred digitally to courts elsewhere in the country.

More than 80,000 cases are awaiting trial in the Crown Court, with London accounting for 25 per cent of the backlog, followed by the south-east with 19 per cent and the Midlands with 18 per cent.

The pilot will cover stages of criminal proceedings including sentencing and case management, but not trials. Participants will be able to ask judges for in-person hearings, while a successful scheme could eventually be expanded.

Courts minister Sarah Sackman said: “The criminal justice system we inherited was on the brink of collapse.”

She added: “This transformational pilot harnesses the power of technology to connect courts across the country, making better use of resources.”

The initiative comes as the Courts and Tribunals Bill returns to the Commons. The government will remove proposals to replace juries with judges sitting alone in some criminal cases, but defendants will still lose the right to choose between a jury trial and a Magistrates’ Court hearing.

The Law Society found last year that one in five survey respondents considered court technology “not at all” fit for purpose. Lawyers reported software problems and a shortage of working plug sockets.