Comedian Lucy Beaumont has called for UK consent laws to change, backing a campaign to stop adults having legal sexual access to 16- and 17-year-olds.

In a post on Instagram on Thursday, Beaumont wrote: "If you have a 12-year-old daughter, in four years' time a man in his 60s can legally have sex with her." She added that the law still regards such a teenager as a child, who cannot legally buy a drink, yet an adult can legally have sex with her, calling the position "insanity".

What the campaign wants

Beaumont urged her followers to support the Close the Consent Gap campaign, which wants it to become an offence for a person aged 20 or over to have sex with a 16-year-old, and 21 or over with a 17-year-old, unless the age gap is no more than three years. It says it is not trying to criminalise teenage relationships. Under current law, 16 is the age of consent.

Beaumont revealed on Sky News on Tuesday that she was one of the whistleblowers in the Guardian and ITV News investigation into David Walliams, 55, who is accused of grooming teenage girls as young as 15 and abusing his position to pursue women. Walliams denies the allegations and says he is not a sexual predator. Beaumont said she had never worked with Walliams, but a young person had confided in her about concerns three years ago.

The Times reports that Labour MPs and the victims' commissioner, Claire Waxman, have backed a review of the law, and that amendments to the Courts and Tribunals Bill will be debated in the House of Lords on Monday. Downing Street said there were no plans to change the age of consent. Beaumont stressed she was speaking in a personal capacity.