Exclusive: Russell Brand Dropped From Jeremy Corbyn And Len McCluskey's Poetry Book

The move follows allegations of sexual misconduct against the comedian and actor, which he denies.
|
Open Image Modal
Russell Brand leaves the Troubabour Wembley Park theatre in north-west London after performing a comedy set. He faces claims about his sexual behaviour at the height of his fame. He has vehemently denied the allegations.
James Manning - PA Images via Getty Images

Russell Brand has been dropped from a book of poetry by Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey, HuffPost UK has learned.

The collection, called Poetry For The Many, is due to be published in November.

According to The Guardian, Brand was among those who had been lined up to contribute to the book.

The Sunday Times and Channel 4′s Dispatches programme reported at the weekend that the comedian and actor has been accused of rape and sexual assault. Brand has strongly denied the allegations.

A spokesman for Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘Peace and Justice Project’ said: “In light of the recent allegations concerning Russell Brand, we have removed his contribution from our upcoming Poetry For The Many project.”

Other contributors include the actor Maxine Peake, children’s author Michael Rosen, director Ken Loach and former Labour Party official Karie Murphy.

Open Image Modal
Jeremy Corbyn and Len McCluskey at a Unite policy conference in 2016.
Rob Stothard via Getty Images

Speaking when the publication of the book was announced, Corbyn said: “This book grew out of regular conversations Len and I hold about poetry: the enjoyment we get from it and the opportunity it provides for escape and inspiration.

“When putting it together, the hardest part was deciding what to leave out.”

“There is a poet in all of us and nobody should ever be afraid of sharing their poetry,” he added.

McCluskey, the former general secretary of the Unite union, said: “It should be mandatory on the national school curriculum to make poetry accessible to every child and student, so that the stigma in working-class communities about it being only for ‘posh people’ or ‘softies’ can gradually be eliminated.”