Britain's Employment Tribunal Backlog Hits 64,000 Cases as AI Drafted Claims Rise

Employment tribunal hearings, including those in London and the South East, are facing some of the longest delays in the UK's history as judges link rising, complex claims to AI drafting tools (Credit: fabrikasimf/Magnific/Image Enhanced thru Microsoft CoPilot)

Britain's employment tribunal system is buckling under a record number of unresolved cases, and judges say artificial intelligence is playing a growing part in the strain. Figures published alongside new presidential guidance show 64,000 single cases remained open at the end of March, up from 45,000 a year earlier.

The guidance, issued jointly by Judge Barry Clarke, president of the Employment Tribunals for England and Wales, and Judge Susan Walker, his counterpart in Scotland, took effect on 22 June. It was drawn up specifically to address a surge in applications many judges believe is being driven by claimants using AI tools to build their own cases.