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Ed Balls reveals Ed Miliband ignored his warnings against meeting with ‘weird’ Russell Brand in his bid to become PM at 2015 general election
Ed Balls says he warned Ed Miliband’s team against interviewing Russell Brand during Labour’s 2015 general election campaign, describing Brand as “weird” and untrustworthy. Miliband went ahead with the interview at Brand’s flat, hoping to reach younger voters, and Balls later defended the decision on television; he says he considered it a ridiculous political stunt.
The interview has drawn renewed criticism following Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault and a reported 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence for attacks against four women. Miliband, now Foreign Secretary, has said he deeply regrets the interview and would not have taken part had he known what later came to light. Balls stressed that his concerns at the time were about Brand’s behaviour, before the details of the allegations emerged.
In short
- Balls says he advised Miliband against meeting Brand in 2015.
- Miliband went ahead to try to attract younger voters.
- The Foreign Secretary now says he deeply regrets the interview.
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The case for
Miliband’s interview can be defended as an attempt to engage younger voters through a prominent public figure, rather than endorse all of Brand’s views or conduct. At the time, the later allegations had not emerged, and Miliband has said he would not have taken part had he known what came to light.
The case against
Balls’s warning reflects the case that a high-profile campaign should avoid lending credibility to a figure he considered untrustworthy, especially when the encounter could look like a political stunt. Even without knowledge of the later allegations, the choice risked undermining the campaign’s judgement and distracting from its message.
Explained simply
In the 2015 general election, Labour leader Ed Miliband was seeking to become prime minister. His team arranged an interview with Russell Brand, a comedian and online commentator with a large following, hoping to reach younger voters; Ed Balls, then a senior Labour figure, says he advised against it.
The interview later became controversial because of Brand’s criminal case. He was convicted of rape and sexual assault, and reports say he received a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence for attacks against four women. Miliband has since said he regrets taking part, while Balls says his doubts at the time concerned Brand’s behaviour, before the allegations became public.
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