The passing of the Liberal Democrat motion to release key files relating to the former Prince Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy is pleasing, a south Cumbrian MP said.
Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, made the comments after his party’s House of Commons motion on the matter was backed by the government on Tuesday (February 24).
As a result, the Labour government will now have to release files relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as UK Trade Envoy in 2001.
The Lib Dems used their Commons allotted Opposition Day debating time to raise the motion.
The party’s motion appealed to the government “to lay before this House all papers relating to the creation of the role of Special Representative for Trade and Investment and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment to that role”.
The motion was passed unopposed.
Reacting to the motion’s passing, Mr Farron said: “No one should be above the law, and it is right that the public should see justice done for the good of our national integrity and especially in order to secure some justice for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
“Our motion was about seeking to uncover what the government of the time knew when Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was appointed to the important role of UK Trade Envoy, and I’m pleased that the motion passed so that we can now uncover the truth.”
This comes after Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has been released under investigation.
The former Prince has previously denied all wrongdoing in relation to his links with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
He is yet to respond or make any public statements on the latest allegations of his alleged misconduct in public office.
However, he has also previously denied any sort of personal gain from his trade envoy role, which he carried out until 2011.
Speaking in the Commons after backing the Lib Dem motion, Trade Minister Sir Chris Bryant said the government owed it to Epstein’s victims to be transparent on the issue.
He said: “Frankly, it is the least we owe the victims of the horrific abuse that was perpetrated by Jeffrey Epstein and others, the abuse that was enabled, aided and abetted by a very extensive group of arrogant, entitled and often very wealthy individuals in this country and elsewhere.”
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