Sir Keir Starmer has ‘no plans’ to remove Andrew from the line of succession following the dramatic stripping of his prince and Duke of York title by the King.
The monarch’s move to formally strip his brother of his titles and HRH style effectively ends his public life and leaves him with the status of a commoner – but he remains eighth in line to the throne.
As of this morning on the Royal Family‘s official website, Andrew – now known simply as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – was still listed in eighth place as ‘The Duke of York’ in the line of succession, behind Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet of Sussex.
Labour MP Jon Trickett earlier said Andrew should be removed from the line of succession to guard against an ‘unimaginable family tragedy’ that could make him the monarch by default or dramatically bump him up the order.
His comments were echoed by independent MP Rachael Maskell, while an unnamed Labour minister said they would ‘in principle’ support the move.
And royal expert Joe Little, the managing editor Majesty Magazine, said it would be ‘tidier’ to remove Andrew from the line of succession.
But a Number 10 spokesman said the Prime Minister is not set to try to force the move in Parliament.
They said: ‘There are no plans … the Government is committed to using parliamentary time to improve the lives of working people.’
The former Prince Andrew must now be removed from the line of succession, MPs have said. Above: Andrew at the Order of the Garter Ceremony with his brother King Charles – then the Prince of Wales – at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, in June 2007
Though asked if the Government would try to block a Private Member’s Bill should one be put forward, the spokesman added: ‘There are no plans to make legislative changes.
‘Obviously the provisions for MPs to put forward legislation are well-established. Those would be decisions for MPs and Parliament.’
The response suggests that ministers would not stand in the way of MPs were they to attempt to bring forward the measure.
Andrew is a counsellor of state, but this role has previously been described as ‘inactive’.
Buckingham Palace announced Andrew’s defenestration last night. As well as losing his prince title, he is leaving Royal Lodge, the home in Windsor he has lived in for more than 20 years.
He is to move to a property on the monarch’s private Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.
It comes following ongoing public outcry at a series of revelations about the former Duke of York’s relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the allegations made by the late Virginia Giuffre.
Asked by The Telegraph if they backed removing Andrew from the line of succession, the unnamed Labour minister told the Telegraph: ‘In principle, yes’.
But they added: ‘It’s a lot of effort for someone who in reality will never be King.’
Mr Trickett said: ‘In the event of an unimaginable family catastrophe, Andrew could inherit the throne.
‘The British people would not put up with it and this ought to be resolved so that he isn’t in line at all.’
Majesty Magazine’s managing editor Joe Little said: ‘I’m sure at some point quite soon, somebody will ask, if they’ve not already done so, why he hasn’t been moved from the line of succession.
‘Clearly it would take quite a catastrophe for him to become king given all those that are ahead of him.
‘So might it not have been tidier to withdraw him from the line of succession?’
However, a Number 10 spokesman today said there are ‘no plans’ to use legislation to remove Andrew from the line of succession.
Historian Sir Anthony Seldon said Andrew would never be allowed to inherit the Crown, even in the event of a tragedy that saw him bumped up the line of succession.
The King’s dramatic decision to formally strip his brother of his Prince and Duke of York titles and HRH style effectively ends his public life and leaves him with the status of a commoner – but he remains eighth in line to the throne
He told the Daily Mail: ‘There is zero possibility, or less than zero, that he would inherit the crown.
‘If there was a tragedy and it ever became close, there would be the time then to act.’
Andrew’s move into an as yet undisclosed private residence on the Sandringham Estate is being funded by the King.
Charles will also make ongoing financial provisions for his brother.
Mr Little added: ‘On a personal level it must be pretty devastating and the ultimate humiliation for him, and we know him to be rather an arrogant character, but this has got to be taking its toll on him mentally.
‘It would be very strange if it weren’t.
‘But nevertheless, the future, it’s not looking particularly bleak.
‘I mean, he will no longer be in Windsor, but he’ll be on a private royal estate in Norfolk, and will have accommodation provided and he will be supported in other ways by his brother, the King, for whom it’s been, equally, a very difficult time.
From now on, the former Duke of York (pictured with the late Queen) will simply be known as Mr Andrew Mountbatten Windsor – losing even his birth title of prince
‘No brother would want to do this to another sibling, but clearly this sanction has become necessary, and some would argue should have been taken a long time ago.’
Mr Little said the latest development is a ‘big deal’ not only for Andrew but also for his daughters, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.
‘Whatever they know about their father, and I suppose their mother given the more recent revelations, they are still their parents.
‘The upheaval and the tumult that the family is experiencing at the moment must be pretty devastating, you would think, on many levels,’ he said.
Andrew’s ex-wife Sarah Ferguson is set to make her ‘own arrangements’ when it comes to her future, a royal source said.
She currently lives with him at Royal Lodge and has done for years.
