Nearly a week after a court sent Russell Brand to prison, the British press is still turning him over, as though the country cannot quite close the chapter it has been reading for years. A woman who was once known only as 'Alice' has now given her name and her account, and in doing so has moved the story from the courtroom to the question of what consent and childhood should mean in law. Behind the headlines, the same Sunday mornings also hold the old arguments over Europe, the stubborn question of North Sea oil, and the quiet anxiety of a government whose benefit reforms may yet return to hau
UK Sunday Papers: Brand Victim Speaks Out as Rosebank Rebellion and Burnham's Welfare Plans Loom
A woman alleges she was raped by Russell Brand when she was 16, and campaigns for a staggered age of consent.
Nearly a week after he was jailed, Brand is still on the front pages
Mark
Why is the Mia Latter interview leading the Sunday Times?
Mimi
She was 'Alice' in the 2023 investigation. Now she has given up her anonymity and is campaigning for a staggered age of consent.
Mark
She was one of six women. Were they part of the trial?
Mimi
No. None of the six were complainants in the criminal trial that led to his sentence.
Luke
And her account is an allegation. Brand denied the claims in 2023, and the source here doesn't say he has responded to this interview.
Mark
What about the move to HMP Littlehey?
Mimi
The Sun says he went to a Category C jail for his own safety, and quotes a former governor calling it flabbergasting.
Luke
That's the Sun's reporting and one critic's view. We don't have a prison service explanation here, so whether it's appropriate is contested, not settled.
Mark
And the £6,500 figure on rejoining the EU?
Luke
It comes from a think tank founded by Liz Truss, so it's one group's estimate. Labour's response is a general claim about smoother trade, with no figure attached.
Mimi
The papers largely line up with their usual positions on this.
Mark
What ties the Rosebank and welfare stories together?
Mimi
The Sunday Times says the 75-MP letter copies the welfare rebels' strategy, and the Sun expects Burnham to face a rebellion of his own.
Luke
Though the rebellion is a prediction from the Sun and one unnamed MP. Nothing has happened yet.
Der Puls
- A woman who was once anonymous now names Russell Brand and says he raped her at 16, pressing for a staggered age of consent.
- Brand's transfer to HMP Littlehey, a Category C prison, has the papers divided over whether it was a wise or flabbergasting decision.
- Commentators clash over rejoining the EU, with a £6,500 household cost estimate set against claims that Britain's troubles were self-inflicted.
- 75 Labour MPs have put their names to a letter urging ministers not to approve Rosebank, echoing the rebellion that toppled Starmer's welfare cuts.
- The new Burnham government faces a looming welfare rebellion over the Milburn report, which one rebel calls an unexploded bomb.
Nearly a week after a court sent Russell Brand to prison, the British press is still turning him over, as though the country cannot quite close the chapter it has been reading for years. A woman who was once known only as 'Alice' has now given her name and her account, and in doing so has moved the story from the courtroom to the question of what consent and childhood should mean in law. Behind the headlines, the same Sunday mornings also hold the old arguments over Europe, the stubborn question of North Sea oil, and the quiet anxiety of a government whose benefit reforms may yet return to haunt it.
Nearly a week after Russell Brand was jailed, he still dominates the Sunday front pages. The Sunday Times leads with Mia Latter, one of six women who made allegations against him in a 2023 investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. Then known as 'Alice', she has now waived her anonymity to allege that Brand raped her when she was 16. She is campaigning for a staggered age of consent. Brand denied the allegations at the time, and the paper notes that none of the six women were complainants in his recent criminal trial.
The Sun on Sunday reports that Brand has been moved to HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, a Category C jail it calls 'soft', for his own safety, days into a 10-and-a-half-year sentence. A former prison governor calls the decision 'flabbergasting'.
Elsewhere, the EU debate returns. The Sunday Express cites a think tank founded by Liz Truss estimating that rejoining would leave households £6,500 a year worse off, while Labour says closer ties would ease trade. The Observer argues the past decade's evidence favours membership, while the Sunday Telegraph blames Labour's taxes rather than Brexit, and the Mail on Sunday attacks the Prime Minister's EU ambitions.
The Sunday Times also reports that 75 Labour MPs have warned ministers against approving drilling at Rosebank, following the welfare rebels who forced Starmer into retreat. The Sun expects Burnham's welfare plans to bring his first rebellion, as one potential rebel calls Alan Milburn's report an unexploded bomb.
In lighter news, Wayne Rooney says his marriage is happier since he quit drinking, and Wales's victory over New Zealand in Cardiff is celebrated on the back pages. The coming weeks will show whether ministers move on Rosebank and how Burnham answers the Milburn report.
Nearly a week after Russell Brand was jailed, he is still on the front pages. The Sunday Times leads with an interview with a woman who alleges that Brand raped her when she was 16. Mia Latter was one of six women who made allegations against him in 2023, as part of an investigation by The Times, The Sunday Times and Channel 4's Dispatches. At that time she was known by the pseudonym 'Alice'.
She has now waived her right to anonymity and is campaigning for a staggered age of consent. Brand denied the allegations when they were first made. The paper notes that none of the six women in the 2023 investigation were complainants in his recent criminal trial.
The Sun on Sunday reports on where Brand is serving his sentence. It says he has been moved to what it calls a "soft" Category C jail, HMP Littlehey in Cambridgeshire, for his own safety. The move came days into a 10-and-a-half-year sentence for rape and sexual assault. The paper quotes a former prison governor who calls the decision "flabbergasting."
Elsewhere, the papers turn to the argument over Britain's relationship with the EU. The Sunday Express highlights analysis from a think tank established by the former Prime Minister Liz Truss. It suggests that rejoining the EU would leave the average UK household £6,500 a year worse off. A Labour party spokesperson tells the paper that a closer relationship with the EU will make trade smoother, cut bureaucracy and support economic growth.
The commentary is divided. The Observer says the clear evidence of the past decade is that British EU membership benefits both sides. The Sunday Telegraph, in an editorial, says reopening the issue lets Andy Burnham "pretend that Britain's economic underperformance is the fault of Brexit, rather than of Labour's high taxes and mismanagement." The Mail on Sunday says that if the "shameless PM had been more honest about his EU dream, he might not even be in No 10." It reminds readers that his Makerfield constituency "voted strongly" for Brexit.
The Sunday Times also reports that 75 Labour MPs have signed a letter warning ministers against approving drilling at the Rosebank oil field. The paper says the letter follows the strategy of the welfare rebels who forced Sir Keir Starmer to abandon cuts to disability benefits, a revolt that hastened his downfall as prime minister.
The Sun believes Burnham's own welfare plans will bring his first rebellion. One potential rebel tells the paper that Alan Milburn's long-awaited report, which would shift the emphasis from benefits to training, is an "unexploded bomb" left by the Starmer government and should be rejected.
In lighter news, the former England footballer Wayne Rooney tells the Sunday Mirror that his marriage is in "a much happier place" since he quit drinking six months ago. He is about to appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, and says his wife, Coleen, is delighted with his healthier lifestyle. On the back pages, Wales's victory over New Zealand in Cardiff is widely celebrated. The Sunday Telegraph's headline reads: "The dragons slayed the giants."
The next things to watch are whether ministers move on Rosebank, and how Burnham responds to the Milburn report.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
A former prison governor called the move to HMP Littlehey "flabbergasting."— Former prison governor, quoted in The Sun on Sunday
Alan Milburn's welfare report is an "unexploded bomb" left by the Starmer government and should be rejected.— Potential Labour rebel, quoted in The Sun
Möchten Sie die ganze Geschichte?
Das Original lesen bei BBC News ↗