'It was a long time ago': Education Secretary defends Ed Miliband over appearance on Russell Brand’s YouTube show

Labour’s deputy leader said Ed Miliband’s 2015 general election interview with Russell Brand took place in a “different era” before the disgraced comedian’s predatory sexual behaviour had been exposed. Lucy Powell, who was vice chairwoman of Labour’s election campaign in 2015, said Brand had a “powerful platform”. Mr Miliband, then the Labour leader, appeared on Brand’s online show The Trews as part of an attempt to win over young voters in his ultimately doomed attempt to become prime minister.

Ms Powell, now the Education Secretary, insisted Brand had approached Labour first as she faced questions over what role she played in setting up the appearance. “It was a long time ago, obviously and had I or Ed Miliband or anybody at the time had any sense at all that this was someone who was a sexual predator, who was involved in these sorts of crimes,” she told a broadcaster. “I think like anybody who would have paid to go to his show, would have watched him on TV, who was his employer at the time, who had interactions with him – anybody, including those of us who were involved in that at the time – would look back and really regret that, knowing today what we now know,” she added.

Read more: If we want to stop white working-class pupils falling out of education, the work starts long before the classroom, writes Lucy Powell Read more: Detective who led case against Russell Brand urges any potential victims to come forward - as he says new information is being 'triaged' By the time the interview took place, Brand had already lost his BBC Radio 2 show for leaving a series of lewd messages on actor Andrew Sachs’ answerphone about a romantic liaison with his granddaughter, been fired from XFM for reading pornography on air and detailed his womanising in his autobiography.

Asked about her role in setting up the interview, Ms Powell said: “Look, we were in very different times. We weren’t in the social media age at the time, so where you could maybe search things up and see allegations or things about somebody at the time. “And, as I say, if there was any suggestion at all, we were dealing with someone who was a known sexual predator at the time then, of course, no one would have done that. “But as I say, he was a wellknown public figure.

Lots of people, from Hollywood to the BBC to many others, gave this person a very, very powerful platform. “We didn’t know at the time and unfortunately, maybe had people come forward or felt able to… it was a different era.” Brand, 51, was jailed for 10-and-a-half years on Monday for raping one of his fans and sexually assaulting three TV and radio workers during his rise to international fame. Ms Powell said: “What I would say to women now, off the back of that, is do come forward when these things happen to you.

“You will be supported. You will be believed. You will be taken seriously. “Because actually, had we had an environment and a culture, 15 years ago, 20 years ago, where women felt that, then he would have been stopped in his tracks sooner and we would have had less victims as a consequence.” Tory leader Kemi Badenoch declined to say Mr Miliband should apologise for his past association, arguing she did not know the extent of what Labour knew at the time, but criticised the party for “chasing celebrities”.

“I think Labour should just apologise generally for so much of what they have been doing,” she told a press conference on Tuesday. “But I’m not someone who engages in hindsight analysis. I’m sure if it was Ed Milibandsitting in this chair, he’d be very happy to attack us for guilt by association. “But I don’t know that they knew the extent of what he had done. Conservatives believe in the principle of ‘you’re innocent until you’re proven guilty’, and he has now been proven guilty. ” She added: “I personally find it quite cringe and embarrassing when you see Labour politicians chasing celebrities like this all the time.

“We’re supposed to be the ones who are serious and grown-up, and not, you know, wanting to be on Gogglebox or whatever. That’s what you will get from the Conservative Party.” Asked what her own advice would be to women who may be dealing with predatory behaviour, she said “don’t be afraid” and to “believe in their own self-worth”. “I don’t blame anyone ever for being in a situation that causes them to be abused. Most people are not aware until it happens, but it is the staying in the situation for longer periods of time that worries me,” she said.

“I want young women to believe in themselves and believe in their own self-worth. Never be afraid to tell the police or to tell others what is going on because their silence means that other people get harmed by it.”