Staggered age of consent to be discussed after Russell Brand case, says minister

Under UK law, adults of any age are legally able to have sex with 16- and 17-year-olds

Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, as he spoke to the BBC said that “appalling” stories of “abuse of power by powerful men” have emerged this week.

It comes as a woman who alleges she was raped by the jailed comedian when she was 16 is campaigning to see the law changed.

Relationships between 16-and 17-year-olds and adults would be illegal, under the changed law.

McFadden said that questions over a staggered age of consent have “been raised and will be discussed”.

“I can't tell you what the conclusion of that would be, but the last week has certainly put that up in lights”, he added.

What the current law means and why there are calls for change

At the time of writing, under UK law, adults of any age are legally able to have sex with 16- and 17-year-olds.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mia Latter, who has waived her right to anonymity, said that she wants to see the age of consent to be staggered.

Latter said she was 16 when she met the comedian, who was 30 years old at the time.

“I think people were so struck by my story because of the age difference and the clear imbalance [in power]”, she told the Sunday Times.

“I don't want to criminalise teenagers having sex with each other,” she told the paper.

Previously known under the pseudonym “Alice”, she is one of the six women who made allegations against Brand in 2023 as part of a Times, Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches investigation.

At the time, Brand, 51, denied the allegations and none of the six women were complainants in his recent criminal trial.

Brand was sentenced to 10-and-a-half-years imprisonment after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, involving four women between 2004 and 2009, at Southwark Crown Court on Monday.

However, he was acquitted of two counts of rape and one allegation of attempted indecent assault.

In the same week Brand was convicted, further allegations of sexual misconduct in the entertainment industry were revealed.

A story published by ITV News and the Guardian alleged that comedian David Walliams had been accused of sexual misconduct by several women.