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Andy Burnham says Russell Brand committed ‘horrifying’ crimes against women as Labour faces questions about support for rapist
Developing story first seen 42 minutes ago
Andy Burnham has condemned Russell Brand’s crimes against women as “horrifying” and praised the victims who came forward. The comments come as Labour faces renewed scrutiny over politicians’ past efforts to engage Brand and his large following.
Burnham praised Brand on social media in 2014, and Ed Miliband interviewed him before the 2015 election. The article also revisits Brand’s 2012 appearance at a parliamentary committee, arranged by Labour MP Keith Vaz, who later resigned after being suspended from the Commons over offering to buy drugs for male sex workers. The Prime Minister said his past support for Brand was more than a decade ago and that he did not know the full extent of his conduct.
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In short
- Burnham called Brand’s crimes against women horrifying.
- Labour politicians’ past links with Brand are under scrutiny.
- The article revisits his 2012 committee appearance arranged by Keith Vaz.
How this story developed
- 19 minutes ago Andy Burnham has called Russell Brand’s crimes against women “horrifying” and praised the victims who came forward, as Labour faces renewed questions about prominent figures’ past support for the comedian.
- 24 minutes ago Andy Burnham has condemned Russell Brand’s crimes against women as “horrifying” and praised the victims who came forward. The comments come as Labour faces renewed scrutiny over politicians’ past efforts to engage Brand and his large following.
Where outlets differ
Centre outlets 1
Only here: aware, horrific
Right-leaning outlets 1
Only here: andy, russell, committed, horrifying, women
Every side used: burnham, brand, crimes
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The case for
Labour’s past engagement with Brand merits scrutiny because public praise and high-profile platforms can confer legitimacy, and voters may reasonably ask what politicians knew and whether they took concerns seriously. Acknowledging the history can support accountability and reassure victims that their experiences are not being sidelined for political convenience.
The case against
Past engagement should be judged in its context: the reported praise and interview took place years before the crimes were fully known, and politicians may have had no basis then to understand Brand’s conduct. Treating those contacts as evidence of support for rape risks conflating an earlier public persona with later-established crimes and may turn a serious issue into partisan point-scoring.
Explained simply
Russell Brand is a British comedian and broadcaster who later built a large online audience. He has faced criminal proceedings over allegations of sexual offences; the case has prompted renewed attention to how public figures and political parties dealt with him while he was prominent.
Labour politicians sought contact with Brand when he had a substantial following. Andy Burnham praised him on social media in 2014, and then Labour leader Ed Miliband interviewed him before the 2015 general election. Labour MP Keith Vaz arranged Brand’s appearance at a parliamentary committee in 2012.
The story matters because it raises questions about how politicians engage with influential public figures and what they knew about their conduct at the time. It also recalls Vaz’s later resignation after a Commons suspension linked to offering to buy drugs for male sex workers.
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