Women in media alleging abuse too often not protected, Lisa Nandy says

Culture secretary says there is still a problem in media industry and across public life after Russell Brand conviction

Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has said there is still a problem with exploitation and abuse in the media industry and a failure to properly deal with allegations, after Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault.

The cabinet minister said women who came forward were too often “not protected” by institutions across public life, including in politics, and that huge power imbalances meant speaking up came at a “very heavy cost”.

Nandy told the media industry that “time is up” to bring in systems to protect vulnerable whistleblowers, and said that while the BBC had in recent years taken action, other organisations still had to take the issue seriously.