Deputy prime minister says change would be a massive step but ‘deserves proper consideration and scrutiny’
The government has said it will consider calls to change the age of consent after a woman waived her right to anonymity to publicly claim she was raped by Russell Brand as a 16-year-old schoolgirl.
Mia Latter, now 37, alleged she had been orally raped by the jailed comedian when she was a teenager and he was 30 years old.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, she called for the introduction of a staggered age of consent – which would make relationships between adults and teenagers aged 16 and 17 illegal.
Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, told the newspaper that Latter’s “heart-breaking story” meant a law change deserved consideration.
She said: “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.”
Under UK law, adults of any age are legally able to have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds.
