Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said the government is likely to look at changing age of consent laws in the wake of the Russell Brand and David Walliams scandals
The government is likely to look at changing age of consent laws in the wake of the Russell Brand and David Walliams scandals, a minister has revealed.
Pat McFadden said that age gaps are being looked at “in a new light” in the wake of revelations and allegations about the comedians. It comes after Mia Latter – who alleges she was orally raped by Brand when she was 16 – called for a staggered age of consent, which would make relationships between adults and teenagers aged 16 and 17 illegal.
Ms Latter, who said Brand referred to her as “the child” to pals, said changing the law would not be a “gigantic” step to protect young women. Mr McFadden told Sky News: “I think the whole country last week has been appalled by the abuse of power by powerful men. And a big age gap can be a factor in that. So, I think what we’ve seen over the last week has certainly raised that question
“There’ll be a number of issues to work through on it. I can’t give you a final answer on that today, but I do think that, between Russell Brand, David Walliams, what’s been put out there, people are looking at these issues in a new light. They’re looking at powerful men abusing their position. And that question (of staggered age of consent)… is certainly something that ministers will talk about. I can’t give you a final answer, but the question has been raised.”
Brand was jailed for 10-and-a-half years after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault. Meanwhile former Britain’s Got Talent judge Mr Walliams has been accused of preying on girls as young as 15 following an investigation by The Guardian and ITV. He denies wrongdoing.
Pressed by Sky News host David Olusoga, Mr McFadden said: “Look, I think we probably will consider it (changing the age of consent law). But I can’t give you a result of that at the moment. And what we’ll definitely do is think about whatever we can do to help people at the wrong end of these abuses of power.”
Earlier, Ms Latter – who waived her legal right to anonymity in order to campaign for a law change – told the Sunday Times: “I think we all sort of agree that… adults shouldn’t be allowed to have sexual relationships with children, with somebody under the age of 18. That really doesn’t seem like a gigantic leap to take.”
Ms Latter was referred to under the pseudonym of Alice in previous reporting by the Sunday Times, The Times, and Channel 4 Dispatches documentary. She said she was 16 when she first met Brand in Leicester Square, central London, while she was on her way home from a shopping trip. He took her number, later messaged her, and asked if she wanted to go for dinner. She told the newspaper that Brand – who was working at MTV at the time – still asked her to meet after she had confessed her age to him.
Ms Latter said Brand told her to keep their relationship secret from her school friends, but his entourage knew, and he referred to her as “the child” in front of them. Ms Latter alleges Brand orally raped her towards the end of their three-month relationship. In an interview with The Sunday Times, she claimed: “He ended up forcing me against the headboard [of the bed], and I couldn’t move, and he orally raped me – and I was choking and crying.
“I was trying to push him off, so he knew that I didn’t want him to be doing that, and so then I ended up having to hit him in the stomach to get him off. I’ve never hit anyone [before] and … he said: ‘I just wanted to see your mascara run.'” Their relationship lasted three months. Ms Latter’s allegations were reported to the Metropolitan Police, who said the investigation into the alleged rape remains ongoing.
A Met Police spokesperson said: “Officers launched an investigation in January 2026 after receiving an allegation of rape. Detectives sought advice from the Crown Prosecution Service to determine how best to proceed, and officers were advised that further information was needed before a charging decision could be made. This investigation remains ongoing. We understand the delay has been distressing for this victim-survivor. However, our focus has been on putting forward the best possible evidence.”
The Crown Prosecution Service said: “The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work closely with investigators to provide advice and make sure cases progress as quickly as possible.”
Louise Haigh, the government’s First Secretary of State, told the Sunday Times: “We need to listen to Mia and other victims like her who have been through these experiences, because it’s really important that as lawmakers their experience is at the heart of what we consider. It clearly would be a massive step to change the age of consent, but it deserves proper consideration and scrutiny. I can absolutely understand why she is calling for it.”
And Labour MP Catherine Atkinson, who chairs the Commons Justice Committee, told Times Radio: “I think it’s important that we do explore that properly we do have different regimes around the world that I think we can learn from and I think that really seeing what the consequences would be for putting in that staggered age of consent is something that should be seriously looked at.”
And she continued: “I think there are real concerns about there being a difference between a 17- and a 16-year-old versus a 30-year-old and a 16-year-old. I do understand the concerns that arise from that but I would always want to ensure that we are looking at the evidence properly and seeing what the consequences would be. but on this I definitely think we should be exploring it.”
Anna Edmundson, director of policy at children’s charity the NSPCC, said: “We know 16–17-year-olds can be particularly vulnerable to grooming by some adults. In some areas of the law, this group of teenagers are protected. For example, it is illegal to possess an intimate image of a child under the age of 18, yet other laws are failing to prevent them from being sexually exploited. Even though they are over the age of consent, young people are still entitled to be protected from harm.
“The NSPCC has long campaigned for better protections for teenagers and in 2022 helped change the law to prevent more adults in positions of trust from having sexual relationships with 16-17 year olds they have power over. Since then, we have seen many other disturbing examples where adults appear to be targeting young people to sexually exploit them. This is completely unacceptable.
“That’s why we welcome comments from Government ministers indicating a willingness to reconsider the current legal framework. We urgently need a review of what is and isn’t working to ensure 16- and 17-year-olds are fully protected in law from this predatory behaviour. However, closing these gaps will only be part of the solution. We must question why adults have been able to exploit teenagers in plain sight for so long, and look at what further action is needed to help people recognise the signs of exploitation and feel confident speaking up to protect young people.”
The Met Police has launched an investigation into allegations surrounding Mr Walliams. In a statement last week, Mr Walliams said: “Looking back, I realise that at times I behaved thoughtlessly towards other people I had casual sexual relationships with… I realise I did not always take people’s feelings properly into account. That is something I regret.
“And whilst a power imbalance is inevitable when one party is famous, abusing that power is something else entirely and it is something that I never did… I am not a sexual predator… I have not broken the law… I am devastated that some of the women I met ten to twenty years ago have now expressed hurt or anger towards me.”