Allegations against Russell Brand and, separately, David Walliams , which he denies, have led to calls for greater legal protection for 16- and 17-year-olds from sexual exploitation by older adults.

A staggered consent law is one route favoured by campaigners, supported by some Labour MPs. Claire Waxman, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales, has called for “serious conversations” on the potential for legislative change.

The barrister Charlotte Proudman, who specialises in law regarding violence against women and girls, said: “Staggered, or graduated, age of consent means that the law takes account of the age difference between sexual partners, rather than treating 16 as the point at which a child can legally consent to sexual activity with someone of any age.

“A sexual relationship between a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old is fundamentally different from one between a 16-year-old girl and a 50-year-old man.”

A 16-year-old cannot buy alcohol or cigarettes, but someone decades older can legally…