Burnham and Nandy press media industry on safeguards as Brand fallout widens

Pressure is growing on Britain's entertainment industry to prove it protects women and girls, after Russell Brand was jailed this week and police opened an investigation into allegations against the children's author David Walliams. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said late on Thursday that the media industry must look at whether it is taking every step needed, AFP reported.

Culture minister Lisa Nandy will meet industry bosses on Tuesday, according to AFP, and has warned that ministers would not hesitate to act if the protections in place prove inadequate.

What has happened since Brand was sentenced?

AFP said Brand was jailed on Monday for rape and sexual assault against four women, offences dating back to the 2000s. Reports differ on the term: the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said 10 years, while AFP said more than 10.

The Times reported on Friday that six more women have alleged assaults by Brand, according to AFP. On the same day, the Metropolitan Police said it was investigating allegations of “serious sexual offences” against Walliams, following a joint Guardian and ITV News investigation. Walliams denies the accusations.

Brand has denied allegations of sexual wrongdoing.

Who is Mia Latter and what does she want?

Mia Latter, 37, waived her right to anonymity in an interview with the Sunday Times, ABC and Page Six reported. She was known as “Alice” in a 2023 investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4. She alleges Brand raped her during a relationship when she was 16 and he was 30. She was not a complainant in the trial, and Brand has denied the allegations.

ABC reported that Latter said police removed her from the trial after Brand's interview in April, and that she later withdrew from a possible second trial. The Metropolitan Police told the Sunday Times it opened an investigation in January into an allegation of rape that is still under way. It acknowledged the delay had been distressing for the victim and said its focus had been on putting forward the best possible evidence.

Latter is campaigning for a staggered age of consent. The age is currently 16 across the UK regardless of gender, with extra protections for under-18s. She wants it to be a criminal offence for people in their 30s, 40s and 50s to have a relationship with someone under 18.

What do experts say needs to change?

Kat Higgins, a media lecturer at the University of Leeds, called for a cultural shift in how credible allegations of sexual harm are treated, and for reform of the law to curb what she called the “pernicious use” of non-disclosure agreements to silence survivors.

Anna Bull of the University of York, who has studied sexual harassment in UK organisations for a decade, said the culture has improved “far too slowly”. She said attitudes have changed but systems and regulatory oversight have not shifted enough. Tougher legislation requiring employers to take all reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment came into force only a few weeks ago, she noted.

The comedian Lucy Beaumont, who said she was one of the Guardian's whistleblowers, told Sky News there is a window of opportunity to change things in an industry with “no HR department, no proper duty of care”.

What does this mean for people working in TV and film?

Bull said workers in film and TV, many of them young freelancers, are especially vulnerable because of insecure employment, gender imbalances in power and a sharp fall in job vacancies in recent years. That combination, she said, leaves many people unwilling to make formal reports or raise concerns at all. Even Beaumont, an established comedian, said she feared she might never work in television again after speaking out.

The reaction echoes earlier scandals. AFP noted that abuse and harassment cases have shaken the industry since 2012, when the abuse of children by the late presenter Jimmy Savile came to light, and that the #MeToo movement renewed focus on the issue from 2017.

What happens next?

The first concrete step is Nandy's meeting with industry bosses on Tuesday. Ministers have not said what action they would take if they judge current protections inadequate, and the Metropolitan Police inquiries are continuing.

Earlier on Around Prague: Mia Latter waives anonymity to say Russell Brand raped her at 16

Around Prague, based on reporting by ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Malay Mail, Page Six

Cover photo: Kevin Walsh from Preston Brook, England / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, cropped

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