UK Government Threatens to Force Media Industry to Improve Safeguarding

The UK government is prepared to compel the entertainment industry to enhance its safeguarding practices if it does not act swiftly, BBC Newsnight has learned. This development follows a series of allegations against high-profile figures, including entertainer David Walliams, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual misconduct and abusing his position. Walliams denies all allegations.

Government Pressure Mounts

Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy is set to meet with industry leaders next week and will warn that if their response to recent allegations is inadequate, she will force participation in the Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority (CIISA). Currently, membership in CIISA is voluntary. Nandy has summoned leaders from broadcasting, publishing, film, and entertainment to "draw a line" in the sand, according to sources.

The move comes after the publication of allegations against Walliams and the sentencing of disgraced entertainer Russell Brand on charges of rape and sexual assault. The allegations against Walliams were part of a joint three-year investigation by the Guardian and ITV News, published after he lost a legal bid to prevent the claims from being made public.

Two Key Messages

BBC Newsnight understands that Nandy will deliver two messages at the round table meeting. First, she will tell industry leaders they must meet the moment, take responsibility, and tackle safeguarding issues on their own. Second, she will warn that if their response is not sufficient, the government may intervene, potentially forcing participation in CIISA.

Several government ministers have called for further restrictions on the use of non-disclosure agreements (NDAs). Women and Equalities minister Bridget Phillipson told Sky News there is "scope to go further" on legislation to prevent the legal system from being "abused in order to silence women." She said, "We cannot have a system where rich and powerful individuals, rich and powerful men, are able to silence women and stop things coming to light."

Calls for Mandatory Participation

Zelda Perkins, who spoke out against Harvey Weinstein, told BBC Newsnight that there are "not enough safeguards" around high-profile people in creative industries and that joining CIISA should be "mandatory." Perkins, a former assistant to Weinstein, broke an NDA in 2017 to speak publicly about his mistreatment of women. She founded a group campaigning against NDAs used to silence employees. "There are no other regulatory bodies that are voluntary to join," Perkins said, noting that "obviously the people who need to be monitored are the people who are not joining." She added, "It's still very wild west in the creative industries, people behave how they want," but "you can't change the humans, you can change the rules around them."

In the initial investigation, some women accused Walliams of "grooming" them when they were teenagers. One woman described an alleged encounter with Walliams at age 15 as a "sexual assault." In a letter to journalists, Walliams said he was "not a sexual predator" and had not "broken the law." He acknowledged behaving "thoughtlessly" towards people he had casual sexual relationships with and regretted not always considering their feelings.

Separately, a producer who worked on a TV show with Walliams as a guest several years ago told the BBC she was instructed to keep him away from young female staff. Speaking anonymously, she said she was warned Walliams was "creepy" and "inappropriate" and that it was "well-known" he shouldn't be paired with young female runners. She said she "wasn't at all surprised" when allegations emerged. Lawyers for Walliams deny he was ever warned or "got into trouble" for messaging runners and deny inappropriate behavior or harassment in the workplace.

Comedian Kate Smurthwaite told BBC Newsnight that Walliams was a name that came up "over and over again," with a "sense of worry" about him working with young people. She said people knew others who had worked with him and either felt uncomfortable and left or stayed and felt his behavior was inappropriate. When asked why allegations took so long to surface, Smurthwaite said, "We all know that women who raise these issues face a backlash, whether legal, career-related, or being seen as a problem."

The government's warning signals a potential shift towards stricter regulation in the creative industries, aiming to protect whistleblowers and prevent abuse of power.