- The UK government is considering altering the age of consent laws to introduce a staggered system following sexual abuse allegations against high-profile figures.
- Current UK law allows adults of any age to legally have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds, a policy campaigners argue permits adults to exploit teenagers.
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden stated ministers will consider legal reform to address power imbalances and significant age gaps.
- The debate follows public statements by Mia Latter, who detailed being mistreated by Russell Brand when she was 16 and he was 30.
- Brand is serving a 10-and-a-half-year prison term for rape and sexual assault, while police are probing separate allegations against David Walliams, who denies wrongdoing.
IN FULL
