Re: But of course
Unfortunately that *has* been a suggestion of action by the Tories to 'speed things up' and reduce backlog(1) (even pre-COVID). Legal eagles have naturally pushed back knowing that there are *so* many things that can (and do) go wrong in non-jury trials. You may want to read the book(s) by the Secret Barrister. You'll be surprised how badly broken the law is in this country and how much it favours those who can afford expensive legal representation and don't need recourse to Legal Aid.
(1)Legislation to abolish some jury trials could be passed within weeks