Alice could not believe her luck. There she was, aged 16, sitting in a restaurant across the table from Russell BrandAn English actor and comedian. In 2023, he was accused of sexual assault. : her first date with the gorgeous 31-year-old superstar! How her friends would envy her, and how grown-up she felt! But then she was offered the wine list - and had to admit that she was not old enough to drink alcohol.

"Alice" is the pseudonym used by one of the women who sparked the Russell Brand controversy by accusing him of sexual assault. She says that she agreed to some of the sexual activity he wanted, but that some of it was forced on her. He denies this.

Today, she thinks very differently about her interactions with Brand. She wants Britain to introduce a "staggered" age of consent. The minimum age would remain 16, but no one over 21 could have sex with someone under 18: "By doing this we might be able to strike a balance between shielding teenagers from harm and respecting their sexual autonomyThe right to make your own decisions.."

The issue was raised earlier this year when Phillip SchofieldAn English television presenter who worked for ITV and the BBC. admitted having a relationship with a man who was 35 years younger than him. The man had been 15 when they met and 20 when their affair began. Schofield claimed, correctly, that he had done nothing illegal - but he was widely criticised and accused of grooming.   

The UK's age of consent has been 16 since 1885, when it was raised from 13 - although for gay and bisexual men it was 18 until 2000.

There are, however, exceptions: a relation or a person in a position of trust, such as a social worker, cannot have sex with someone in their care who is under 18.

The age of consent varies considerably in different countries. In Nigeria it is just 11, and in Angola and the Philippines 12. Countries where it is 14 include Germany, Italy, Portugal, Brazil and China. Those where it is 15 include France, Greece and Sweden.

Ireland (17) is among the countries with a higher age than the UK, as are India and Turkey (18). South Korea and Nepal (20) and Bahrain (21) have the highest.  

The debate about change is not confined to Britain. Japan has just raised its age of consent from 13 to 16.

A staggered system already exists in many US states. Under "Romeo and Juliet" laws, teenagers can have sex before they reach the age of consent - which varies from 16 to 18 - if the other person is within a certain age bracket.

For those under 15 in Colorado, four years' difference is allowed. For those who are 15 or 16, the maximum difference is 10 years.

Relationships in which there is a large age gap have always attracted criticism. ChaucerSometimes referred to as the father of English poetry, he is best known for The Canterbury Tales. makes fun in The Canterbury Tales of the marriage between an old man called January and a girl called May.

But others point out that some of these relationships work out. France's President MacronEmmanuel Macron was elected as president of France in 2017 aged 39. met his wife Brigitte when he was 15 and she was 40; they started going out three years later.

Many people simply ignore the age of consent. A recent poll¹ found that 19% of adults in Britain had had sex before they were 16.

Yes: If 16 is too young for someone to drink alcohol or vote, it is certainly too young for them to have sex. Teenagers are often confused about their feelings and can easily be taken advantage of.

No: Biologically, people are old enough to have children at 16, so of course they are old enough to have sex. In medieval times it was considered a perfectly good age to get married.

Or... This is something for which the law can only provide a rough guideline. Some people are mature enough to have relationships by the time they are 16, others not until much later.