The UK Government is considering a major change to the country’s age of consent laws following renewed concerns about older adults engaging in sexual relationships with teenagers, particularly in cases involving powerful and influential public figures.

Ministers are examining calls for a ‘staggered’ or ‘graduated’ age of consent, which would make it illegal for adults above a certain age to have sex with 16 and 17-year-olds.The proposal has gained attention amid controversies involving Russell Brand and David Walliams, raising questions about whether existing legislation adequately protects teenagers from exploitation.

Currently, the UK’s age of consent is 16, meaning someone of that age can legally have sex with an adult decades older, provided the relationship is consensual and no other laws are broken. Under one proposed model, a maximum three-year age difference would be permitted. This would mean a 16-year-old could legally have sex with someone aged up to 19, while a 17-year-old could have sex with someone aged up to 20.

The intention is to protect teenagers from exploitation without criminalising relationships between young people close in age. De facto deputy prime minister Louise Haigh, acknowledged that changing the age of consent would be a “massive step”, but said the proposal deserved “proper consideration and scrutiny”.

The age of consent was raised to 16 in 1885, during the Victorian era, when women’s legal rights and society’s understanding of sexual exploitation were vastly different. At the time, married women were still fighting for basic legal protections against domestic abuse. Although serious assaults were already punishable, husbands historically enjoyed considerable legal authority over their wives. It was not until the landmark 1891 ruling in R v Jackson that the courts firmly rejected a husband’s claimed right to forcibly confine his wife. More than 140 years later, campaigners are questioning whether legislation established in such a different social climate remains appropriate for protecting teenagers today.

The proposed changes come amid renewed scrutiny of relationships between celebrities and teenage girls. Russell Brand’s conviction and decade long sentence has brought further attention to the issue, particularly after Mia Latter shed her anonymity and publicly discussed her alleged relationship with the comedian when she was 16 and he was 30, stating:

“Then I didn’t complete my A-levels. I dropped out of school and it took me a little while to feel as though I could put one foot in front of the other. I felt so much shame and embarrassment around the whole thing, that I let this stupid thing ruin my prospects. My attendance was at 30 per cent. I was missing school to sneak off and see him [Brand] and I was diagnosed with depression.”

Meanwhile, allegations involving comedian and children’s author David Walliams, which he has denied, have added to wider discussions about the influence powerful public figures can have over younger people. Similar concerns have emerged internationally. In 2026, a BBC investigation into American actor and musician Jared Leto examined allegations of sexual misconduct involving several women, including claims of inappropriate communications with women who were teenagers at the time.

Barrister Charlotte Proudman, who specialises in violence against women and girls, argues that the current law fails to adequately recognise the power imbalance between teenagers and significantly older adults, calling for restrictions. She explained that a staggered age of consent would consider the age difference between sexual partners rather than treating 16 as the point at which someone can legally consent to sex with an adult of any age.

Proudman highlighted the fundamental difference between a relationship involving a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old and one involving a 16-year-old girl and a 50-year-old man. Campaigners have also pointed to contradictions within existing UK legislation. While a 16-year-old cannot legally purchase cigarettes or alcohol, they can consent to having sex with someone decades older than them. Proudman argues that the law does not sufficiently recognise the risks associated with grooming, financial dependence, emotional manipulation and celebrity influence. Importantly, she believes the proposed changes would place greater legal responsibility on older adults rather than requiring teenagers to demonstrate that they were groomed, coerced or exploited.

Haigh, who has effectively served as deputy prime minister since her appointment to First Secretary of State in July, has also called for further restrictions on non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) used in cases involving harassment and discrimination. She argued that there is a strong case for banning NDAs in such circumstances to ensure victims cannot be silenced, regardless of where the misconduct occurred or their relationship with the alleged perpetrator.

For now, the staggered age of consent remains a proposal rather than government policy. Ministers have indicated that the idea deserves consideration, but no legislation has been introduced and the government has not yet committed to changing the law. But, as with many laws dating back to 1885, perhaps this one is long overdue for a makeover.