Victims of rape are now forced to wait more than twice as long from reporting the crime to police deciding whether to charge a suspect, official figures reveal.
The Crown Prosecution Service data shows that victims waited 78 days on average last year before a case was brought by police.
In 2010-11, the year the Tories came to power, it took just 32 days for them to come to a decision.
Labour Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti slammed the 140% increase in the time accusers have to wait to see if their case will get to court.
She said: "Such a long wait for a decision reveals an entire system which is paralysed by self-doubt."
The delays also reflect a big rise in rape claims being made to police.
They nearly tripled between 2014 and 2018 but the number of cases charged and sent to court fell by 44%, according to a study by the End Violence Against Women Coalition. It was reported last year that CPS chiefs were encouraging prosecutors to drop what they termed "weak" cases.
The CPS claims the delays in charging suspects is in part a result of police and prosecutors taking more time to ensure cases are strong enough.
