PM: I did not know extent of Brand’s ‘horrific’ behaviour as Labour courted him

Andy Burnham said he had “no idea” about the extent of Russell Brand’s wrongdoing at the time he and other senior Labour figures engaged with the disgraced comedian.

The Prime Minister said “it’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life”, and that Brand’s crimes are “horrific”.

Mr Burnham gave a public show of support for Brand in 2014 following a Sun story about his housing arrangements.

The newspaper revealed he paid rent on his London home to a firm registered in the British Virgin Islands.

The Sun branded him a hypocrite for paying for the luxury property to a firm based overseas while at the same time campaigning against high rents and tax dodgers.

Mr Burnham urged Brand – who used the online name @rustyrockets – to continue with his campaigning.

The Prime Minister, at the time an opposition frontbencher, said in a message on social media: “Depressing to see media mission to discredit someone who stops playing their game & uses celebrity to help others. Keep going @rustyrockets.”

In 2015, in the run-up to the general election, then-Labour leader Ed Miliband appeared on Brand’s online show.

On Friday the BBC questioned Mr Burnham about Labour’s attempts to court Brand as a way of winning the youth vote.

The Prime Minister said: “Well, over a decade ago. And all I can say is, I had no idea of the full extent of what he was doing or what he went on to do.

“His crimes are horrific. He’s rightly been held to account, justice for the victims and that is the right course that’s been taken here.

“It’s not always the case that people know everything about people in public life, but what is important is that where there is wrongdoing, it is exposed.

“And as I say again, credit to the victims, huge credit, the courage that it’s taken, but also the journalists who have exposed this.”

By 2014, Brand had already been fired by XFM for reading pornography on air and then left the BBC over the Sachsgate incident involving lewd messages on actor Andrew Sachs’ answerphone.