The Starmer government has announced it will release documents relating to the appointment of former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy amid growing scrutiny of Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The opposition Liberal Democrats introduced a motion in Parliament on Tuesday requesting ministers to release files relating to the former prince’s 2001 appointment, including those related to the security investigation. The motion was passed, and now it’s time for action.
Trade Secretary Chris Bryant said the UK government would support the motion but would not release anything that could affect the ongoing investigation into the former prince. How will they decide whether what is not released affects the investigation?
There must be a criterion. For example, if there are files concerning the Royal Family or some files concerning governments, who will decide whether they are accurate? It seems that the truth will not be revealed in its entirety. A limited number of documents will be released, and these documents will most likely not contain anything major; in other words, harmless documents will be published, and they expect us to believe them.
In the Epstein case, the US Department of Justice didn’t release 2 million documents. The reason was that they were documents that could lead to misunderstandings.
Our government is following the same tactic. They will release what suits them and not release what doesn’t. In a sense, this could also be aimed at protecting Andrew. Or it could be to reduce the immense pressure on the Royal Family.
Reggie Regg – Chef editor