The bravery shown by women who came forward to report Russell Brand will “change the system”, Andy Burnham said as he vowed to be “relentless” in providing more support for victims.
The prime minister spoke as Brand faces a lengthy sentence after being convicted of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault.
He said there is “so much that needs to be done” to give victims the support to speak to police and admitted “we know that still isn’t there in the way that it should be”.
Speaking at a hospital in Hertfordshire as Brand’s sentencing hearing was under way, the prime minister said: “I’ll be honest and say I don’t think you ever can do enough to get the right support in place for victims to give them the confidence to come forward, because we know that still isn’t there in the way that it should be.
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“But I have already taken a decision to make sure there are rape and serious sexual offence teams in every police force by the end of next year. It was going to be 2029, I brought it forward, and I kind of lean back on my work as mayor of Greater Manchester in this regard.”
He paid tribute to them women who spoke out over Brand’s offending, saying: “Obviously today, everybody will be thinking about the women who had the courage to come forward. Their bravery will, I believe, change the system more broadly, and we will be relentless in making whatever improvements we can.
“But there’s no complacency here. There’s a lot more that needs to change.”
Last week, Mr Burnham said he would look at how rape cases are conducted in court after Brand’s conviction, to ensure they do not leave women feeling like they are the ones on trial.
He also described Brand’s actions as “horrifying” and praised the bravery of the women who had the “courage to speak out” against the comedian.
His words came after Metropolitan Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said on Friday that some of what he had heard reported from Brand’s trial was “getting very close to victim blaming” and backed calls for judges to have to issue directions on rape myths and misconceptions to juries.
Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Burnham said: "I think we need to constantly look at the way rape trials are conducted to make sure that they do not leave the woman feeling like she is on trial in court, as has been the experience of people in the past.
“So I will look closely at what Sir Mark Rowley is saying. Always prepared to make changes.”
Asked whether that meant changes to the law, he said: “I wouldn't rule anything out, of course not... I will study what's happened here in great detail."
He added: “We need to encourage more women to come forward to report rape. We need to get the conviction rate up. It has improved, but not enough. We need to do more to support victims of sexual assault and rape, and we will do that as well.”
Following Brand’s guilty verdict, the Metropolitan Police revealed that more allegations against the former TV and radio host are being investigated.
Sir Mark also said his force is braced for “many, many more” possible victims of Brand to come forward in the wake of his convictions, adding that high-profile cases such as Brand’s often lead to further victims coming forward.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy warned there has not been enough change in media organisations to stop celebrities like Brand from preying on women.
“We need far more robust processes in place to protect women like the women who bravely came forward in the Russell Brand case to make sure that they are protected and treated seriously,” she said on Sunday.
“Hand on heart, I don’t think we can say that this couldn’t happen today.”
