Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said he had “no idea” about the extent of Russell Brand’s wrongdoing at the time he and other senior Labour figures engaged with the disgraced comedian.
Mr Burnham said “it’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life”, and that Brand’s crimes are “horrific”. The Prime Minister gave a public show of support for Brand in 2014 following a Sun story about his housing arrangements.
2014 Support and Housing Controversy
The newspaper revealed Brand paid rent on his London home to a firm registered in the British Virgin Islands. The Sun branded him a hypocrite for paying for the luxury property to a firm based overseas while at the same time campaigning against high rents and tax dodgers.
Mr Burnham urged Brand – who used the online name @rustyrockets – to continue with his campaigning. The Prime Minister, at the time an opposition frontbencher, said in a message on social media: “Depressing to see media mission to discredit someone who stops playing their game & uses celebrity to help others. Keep going @rustyrockets.”
In 2015, in the run-up to the general election, then-Labour leader Ed Miliband appeared on Brand’s online show.
Prime Minister's Response to BBC Questions
On Friday, the BBC questioned Mr Burnham about Labour’s attempts to court Brand as a way of winning the youth vote.
The Prime Minister said: “Well, over a decade ago. And all I can say is, I had no idea of the full extent of what he was doing or what he went on to do.
“His crimes are horrific. He’s rightly been held to account, justice for the victims and that is the right course that’s been taken here.
“It’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life, but what is important is that where there is wrongdoing, it is exposed.
“And as I say again, credit to the victims, huge credit, the courage that it’s taken, but also the journalists who have exposed this.”
By 2014, Brand had already been fired by XFM for reading pornography on air and then left the BBC over the Sachsgate incident involving lewd messages on actor Andrew Sachs’ answerphone.
Barrister Reports Himself to Regulator
Following the comedian's conviction, Brand’s barrister today (November 6) said he has reported himself to his professional regulator after being accused of a tirade at a journalist shortly after Brand had been found guilty of rape.
Ian Winter KC confronted Sunday Times journalist Rosamund Urwin, whose investigation led to Brand’s victims coming forward, telling her: “I hope you are pleased with yourself.” Ms Urwin responded: “I’m pleased justice has been done”, before Mr Winter said: “Well, it wasn’t. You f***** it.” “Congratulations,” he added, in an incident which happened on Thursday afternoon just outside the courtroom door at Southwark Crown Court, with a group of journalists watching on.
In a statement issued on Friday lunchtime, Mr Winter said he has now referred himself to the Bar Standards Board, his professional regulator. He said: “Having seen the ways matters have been characterised in today’s press I consider my professional duty requires me to self-report those allegations to the Bar Standards Board, so the matter can be subject to proper scrutiny. I have made such a report.”
The incident at court happened moments after Brand had been found guilty by a jury of rape and three counts of sexual assault, at the conclusion of a four week trial.
Trial Bid Dismissed
During the trial, Mr Winter had argued that reporting of allegations against Brand by Ms Urwin and others had “poisoned the well”, and rendered it impossible for him to have a fair trial. The trial judge, Mr Justice Bennathan, dismissed an attempt by Brand to block his trial from taking place because of negative media coverage.
In a pre-trial argument, Brand, through Mr Winter, had also accused the journalists who first exposed Brand as a sexual predator of being “criminals”, suggesting their reporting in 2023 had made a fair trial impossible and venturing that they may have committed the crime of perverting the course of justice. But the judge rejected that attempt to stop the trial, ruling that Brand could simply be tried by people who had not seen the previous media reporting.
Brand, 51, was convicted of raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009, as well as sexually assaulting three women in separate incidents between 2004 and 2009. He is in custody and due to be sentenced on Monday.
