Walliams allegations prompt calls for staggered age of consent at 16 and 17

Allegations involving Russell Brand and, separately, David Walliams have prompted calls to strengthen legal protections for 16- and 17-year-olds from sexual exploitation by much older adults. Campaigners and some Labour MPs support a staggered age of consent, which would take the age difference between partners into account; England and Wales’s victims’ commissioner has called for serious discussion of possible legal change.

The Close the Consent Gap campaign proposes making sexual activity a criminal offence when a 16- or 17-year-old’s partner is more than three years older, while allowing relationships between teenagers close in age. Supporters say the law should account for power imbalances linked to age, money, celebrity or manipulation. Critics and researchers question whether such laws are proven to protect young people, and warn they could deter some from seeking contraception or other support; Canada uses age difference as one factor in assessing exploitation.