Sir Keir Starmer has heaped pressure on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to give evidence to the US Congress about what he knows about Jeffrey Epstein.
The disgraced royal has so far ignored a request by American politicians to come forward with information about the paedophile financier and his network of contacts.
But on Saturday night – breaking the long-standing convention that Prime Ministers do not comment on royal matters – Sir Keir told reporters at the G20 summit in South Africa: ‘Anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kinds of cases should give evidence.’
When pressed directly about whether that principle applied to Andrew, the Prime Minister said: ‘In the end, that will be a decision for him. But my general position is if you have relevant information you should be prepared to share it.’
Democratic members of the House oversight committee issued a summons to the former Duke of York to ‘come forward’ about his ‘ties’ to the convicted paedophile, but he did not respond within a two-week deadline.
Congress cannot compel foreigners to testify but Sir Keir’s intervention will add to the pressure on 65-year-old Andrew, who was friends with Epstein for years, even after he was convicted for procuring children for prostitution. The ongoing scandal has cost him his royal titles and his Windsor mansion, Royal Lodge.
However, the comments will also leave the Prime Minister open to accusations that he is trying to ‘bury’ reporting about his mounting political troubles – including plots to topple him as leader and pervasive economic gloom ahead of Wednesday’s tax-raising Budget – under news about the former Duke of York.
On Saturday night, a poll of Labour members found that Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Health Secretary Wes Streeting would all win a head-to-head leadership contest against Sir Keir. The polling conducted by Survation for LabourList found that more than half of members (54 per cent) wanted a new leader before the next general election.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has ignored a request by American politicians to come forward with information about Jeffrey Epstein. Pictured: The pair at a party at the Mar-a-Lago club in Florida in 2000 alongside Melania Trump (left) and Gwendolyn Beck (centre right)
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged Andrew to give evidence to the US Congress about what he knows about Jeffrey Epstein
Meanwhile, The Mail on Sunday has been told that Labour MPs increasingly expect Sir Keir to quit next year before he is challenged.
Until now, the Government has stayed out of the Andrew saga. When Buckingham Palace took the decision to strip him of his prince title last month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: ‘Our thoughts have to be with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, those who suffered and continue to suffer because of the abuse that they experienced at his hands, but these are matters for the Royal Family.’
Sir Keir’s comments were on Saturday night welcomed by Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, a member of the oversight committee.
He told the MoS: ‘Prime Minister Starmer is right – Andrew should provide us with any information he has that would help our investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
‘There is clear evidence they were friendly. This is an opportunity for Andrew to clear his name if he hasn’t done anything wrong, and deliver long-awaited justice to the victims.’
And US lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented 27 of Epstein’s victims, said: ‘Why does Andrew resist helping in an investigation which is so important to victims and survivors of Jeffrey Epstein?
‘This is his opportunity to help the survivors by volunteering to speak before Congress under oath. Will he do it or not? King Charles should encourage him to do it, because it is the right thing to do. Andrew’s silence is deafening.’
David Boies, another lawyer who represented Epstein victims, including Virginia Giuffre, said: ‘Prince Andrew certainly has relevant information and he should be prepared to share it. It is also an opportunity for him to take some responsibility, express some remorse, and perhaps begin the process of moving on from his involvement with Epstein.’
Lisa Bloom, another victims’ lawyer, said: ‘On behalf of the eleven Epstein victims I represent: THANK YOU Prime Minister Starmer for stating the obvious: anyone with information about one of the world’s most prolific predators should help law enforcement bring all those complicit to justice. That includes the man formerly known as Prince Andrew.’
In other developments:
- Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, is reportedly considering offers from US broadcasters for a tell-all TV interview in a move that could heap further embarrassment on the Royal Family;
- It has been made clear that the couple are ‘no longer welcome’ at their favoured private nightclub Annabel’s, with staff at the swanky venue told they should not be allowed to enter’;
- Metropolitan Police detectives are poring over the posthumous memoirs of Ms Giuffre, who accused Andrew of sexual abuse – claims he always vehemently died.
Andrew failed to respond within a two-week deadline after Democratic members of the House oversight committee issued a summons to ‘come forward’ about his ‘ties’ to the convicted paedophile
Andrew’s former wife, Sarah Ferguson, is reportedly considering offers from US broadcasters for a tell-all TV interview
In its letter to Andrew, the House oversight committee said it would ‘investigate allegations of abuse by Mountbatten-Windsor, and will seek information on Epstein’s operations, network, and associates based on the men’s long-standing and well-documented friendship’.
Robert Garcia, the most senior Democratic figure on the committee, added: ‘Rich and powerful men have evaded justice for far too long.’
Andrew’s failure to respond to their request led the law-makers to issue a new statement last week, saying: ‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s silence in the face of the oversight Democrats’ demand for testimony speaks volumes.’
The statement added that there were ‘serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide’, but added the committee’s ‘work will move forward with or without him… We will get justice for the survivors’.
This newspaper was the first to publish the infamous picture of then-Prince Andrew with his arm around Ms Giuffre, who claimed she was trafficked by Epstein and had sex with the royal.
Donald Trump last week signed into law an order to release all information from federal investigators into Epstein’s crimes. In a major reversal, the US President – who has been named in some emails already released – dropped his staunch opposition to the measures after fury from Epstein’s victims and his own Republican backers.
The documents must be released within 30 days. This came as several tranches of fresh emails showed Mountbatten-Windsor ‘spent hours in a room’ with one of Epstein’s victims.
Palace aides are also said to be worried about what Ms Ferguson, 66, might share if she takes up an offer to tell her story in a US interview. A source told The Sun: ‘There’s a danger of her going rogue and saying things that could cause embarrassment to King Charles.’
