Burnham responds to BBC question over Labour’s links to Brand

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has acknowledged that comedian Russell Brand has justly been held responsible for his “horrific” criminal actions, while also providing context for Labour’s earlier connection with him. More than ten years ago, some members of the Labour Party attempted to gain Brand’s support before police investigations into his conduct began. In 2014, Burnham expressed support for Brand on social media at a time when the comedian was under media scrutiny.

When questioned about his 2014 tweet, Burnham explained, “It’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life.” That year, Brand contributed regular opinion columns to newspapers and frequently appeared on political shows, including the BBC’s Question Time. His anti-establishment, left-wing stance had attracted a significant social media following. Labour leader Ed Miliband was interviewed by Brand ahead of the 2015 general election. Following their conversation, Brand, who had previously dismissed voting, endorsed Labour, stating that Miliband had convinced him, “this bloke will listen to us.”

Ed Miliband, now foreign secretary, has publicly expressed regret about participating in the interview with Brand. A spokesman for Miliband told the BBC on Friday, “These are horrific crimes that Russell Brand has been found guilty of and Ed’s profound sympathy is with the victims. As he said in 2023, ‘of course, knowing what I know now – and I was not aware of these allegations at the time about Russell Brand – I wouldn’t have done that interview and I regret doing it.'”

Back in 2014, Burnham, then shadow health secretary, defended Brand on Twitter after allegations were raised about the comedian’s housing. The day before Burnham’s post, The Sun had reported that Brand was paying rent to a landlord based in a tax haven, despite his active campaigning against tax avoidance. Brand threatened legal action against the paper and pledged to donate the money to Hillsborough disaster victims, a cause for which Burnham has long advocated. Burnham described the media’s coverage as “depressing” and encouraged Brand to “keep going.” Reflecting on the tweet, Burnham said on Friday, “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.”

Burnham emphasized, “His [Brand’s] 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.” He added that people in public life are not always fully known to others but stressed the importance of exposing wrongdoing. He also praised the victims for their courage and acknowledged the role of journalists in bringing these issues to light.

Brand was found guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault, while being acquitted of two other rape charges and one count of attempted indecent assault. The allegations, brought by six women, cover a period spanning from 1999 to 2009. Now 51 years old, Brand has been denied bail and will remain in custody over the weekend ahead of his sentencing hearing on Monday