Ministers are considering changing the law to force the entertainment industry to better protect women and children in the wake of the revelations over David Walliams and the conviction of Russell Brand.
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, is expected to meet leaders from the industry next week, taking in representatives from not just TV but also film and publishing, as well as potentially sport.
While the hope is that the sectors will voluntarily strengthen protections, it is understood that the government could look at acting if ministers believe there is insufficient action on protections against abuse and harassment, and to encourage whistleblowing.
There have been widespread calls for action after the publication of an investigation by the Guardian and ITV News setting out accusations that Walliams, one of Britain’s best-known television personalities and a top-selling children’s author, used his power and status to prey on young women for sex.
Walliams, 55, denies any wrongdoing. The allegations were published after a court rejected an attempt by Walliams aimed at preventing publication.
The justice secretary, Alex Norris, said on Wednesday he accepted there was “a lot of concern” about powerful men using the legal system to silence accusers, which could include seeking injunctions, as with Walliams, or using non-disclosure agreements.
Speaking after prime minister’s questions, Andy Burnham’s official spokesperson called the allegations about Walliams “deeply troubling”. He said: “Men in positions of power, using their influence to exploit vulnerable young women and girls, is evident in this case, and it’s a pattern of behaviour that needs to change.
“We are clear that every organisation should look at look hard at whether they are doing enough to keep people safe, and if people can raise concerns knowing that their allegations will be taken seriously.”
It is not yet known which organisations are set to meet Nandy, or what the requests might be. One option if legislation is needed could be to make it mandatory for companies to sign up to the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority, which tackles bullying and harassment in the sector via confidential whistleblowing.
One government official said the expectation was for voluntary action. “The instinct is that Lisa would like the industries to show they are about to sort this out themselves, but we are not squeamish about stepping in if that does not happen,” they said.
Speaking on BBC radio on Wednesday morning, Louise Casey, who is leading an inquiry into sexual abuse grooming gangs, said the example of Brand, who was jailed for more than 10 years on Monday for rape and sexual assault, showed the “frankly appalling” way some men abused their power to attack women and girls.
In another interview, with Sky News, Lady Casey said many people would be surprised to learn that men who had sex with girls aged 13, 14 or 15 were not automatically charged with rape, saying this should be changed.
She said: “Those are the sorts of things I think that would really show the country that we are going to protect children … We really need to move mountains, and to move them quickly.”
Later on Wednesday, Norris was asked about the prevalence of high-profile people using the courts to silence accusers. He told the House of Lords justice and home affairs committee: “This has been a source of conversation and engagement in parliament for a long time but brought into relief recently, particularly the way in which powerful men used the system in order to silence people.
“I think there’s a lot of concern in this space and we want to make sure that those things aren’t being used inappropriately and that the legal regime that governs them is robust and finds a fair balance that it ought to.”
Jess Phillips, who until May was the Home Office minister responsible for combating violence against women and girls, told BBC radio that the Walliams case was “an outlier” in that an injunction was overturned.
She said: “There are many, many people in this country silenced by injunctions, silenced by non-disclosure agreements … That is not new news.”
