UK Weighs Raising Consent Bar to 18 After 16-Year-Old's Russell Brand Rape Claim

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Nov 15

Louise Haigh said the government will give “proper consideration” to changing consent laws after Mia Latter alleged Russell Brand orally raped her when she was 16 and he was 30.
Latter, now 37, urged a staggered age of consent that would make adult relationships with 16- and 17-year-olds illegal, arguing current law leaves teenagers exposed despite broad public unease.
Brand denied Latter’s allegations when first reported in 2023; her case was not included in his Southwark trial, where he was convicted over four women’s accounts and jailed for 10 and a half years.
The Metropolitan Police said Latter’s rape allegation, reported in January 2026, remains under investigation after CPS advice that more information was needed before any charging decision.
The case is also widening pressure on ministers to tighten protections for teenagers and consider banning NDAs in sexual assault and harassment cases, after separate allegations involving David Walliams.