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UK Government to Consider Changing Age of Consent Law

The UK government said it will consider changing the age of consent after Mia Latter, 37, waived her anonymity to say Russell Brand raped her at 16. Louise Haigh called it a big step that deserves scrutiny and said a ban on NDAs should also be examined.

By Alistair Sterling

November 15, 20262 min read

UK Government to Consider Changing Age of Consent Law)

The UK government said on November 15, 2026 that it will consider calls to change the age of consent, after a woman publicly alleged that comedian Russell Brand raped her when she was 16.

Mia Latter, now 37, waived her legal right to anonymity to make the claim. She alleges Brand orally raped her when he was 30 and she was a schoolgirl. Brand denied all of her allegations when they were first reported in 2023.

What Latter wants changed

Latter called for a staggered age of consent. Under her proposal, relationships between adults and 16- and 17-year-olds would become illegal.

Under current UK law, adults of any age can legally have sex with 16- and 17-year-olds.

Louise Haigh, the de facto deputy prime minister, said Latter's "heart-breaking story" meant a change deserved consideration. "It clearly would be a massive step to change the age of consent, but it deserves proper consideration and scrutiny," she said. "I can absolutely understand why she is calling for it."

The allegation and the case

Latter said she first met Brand in Leicester Square, central London, while on her way home from shopping. He took her number and later messaged to ask her to dinner. She said he still wanted to meet after she told him her age.

She alleges the assault happened towards the end of a three-month relationship. Earlier reporting had referred to her under the pseudonym Alice.

She spoke to police, but the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to include her case in Brand's trial at Southwark Crown Court. Brand was convicted of attacks against four of the six women who gave evidence. He is serving a 10-and-a-half-year sentence for one count of rape and three sexual assaults.

NDAs and cross-party support

Haigh also pointed to the case of comedian David Walliams. The Metropolitan police are probing a series of "serious" sex offence allegations against him, following an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News. One accuser was reportedly asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), a contract that bars someone from speaking about an incident. Walliams denies any wrongdoing.

Haigh said teenage fans like those in that case would not fall under the current consultation. She added there was "a very strong case" for banning NDAs in all circumstances relating to harassment or discrimination.

MPs outside Labour may back a bill to change the age of consent. Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson, has come out in favour of reviewing the laws.

Latter said she was struck that public reaction to Brand news keeps fixating on the relationship with a 16-year-old. "That's not the most heinous bit," she said. "But why is that the thing that everybody collectively gets stuck on?"