Keir Starmer backs call for Prince Andrew to be hauled in front of MPs to give evidence
Sir Keir Starmer has backed calls for Prince Andrew to be brought before MPs to testify in parliament following revelations about his living situation.
The prime minister has called for “appropriate scrutiny” amid mounting pressure on the disgraced royal to give up his 30-room Windsor mansion after it was revealed he had paid just a smidgen of rent for more than 20 years.
Addressing Sir Keir at Prime Minister’s Questions, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey asked: “Given the statements about the Royal Lodge, does the prime minister agree that this House should properly examine the royal estate to ensure taxpayers’ interests are protected?
“The chancellor himself has said the current arrangements are wrong, so will the prime minister support a select committee investigation so that everyone involved, including the person present, can be called for evidence?”
In response, Sir Keir said: “It is important that there is a proper review of all royal properties, I fully support that.”
Earlier this week, Andrew announced he would give up using his royal titles amid renewed focus on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein; but an act of parliament would be required to formally abolish the dukedom.
The prince vehemently denies these claims, according to Virginia Giuffre, who wrote her memoirs after his death. Nobody’s Daughter Posted on Tuesday, she was forced to have sex with the billionaire financier three times after being kidnapped by him.
Andrew and his family have a 75-year lease on the 30-bedroom Royal Lodge in Windsor, which allows them to live on the property until 2078. The latest revelation will put pressure on the scandal-ridden royal to give up Royal Lodge, which sits on 98 acres in Windsor Great Park and is leased from the royal estate.
Details of the lease show that Andrew signed a 75-year lease in 2003. He paid £1 million for the rent and beyond that the rent was set at a “pepper” if requested.
The agreement also includes a clause stating that the royal estate will have to pay Andrew around £558,000 if he reneges on the lease.
Sir Keir’s backing for Prince Andrew to appear before a select committee comes as MP Rachael Maskell prepares to introduce new legislation that would allow the King to formally remove himself from the dukedom.
The proposed new legislation, tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday, would give the monarch the power to remove titles on their own initiative, either on the advice of parliament’s joint committee or at the request of the person holding the title.
The bill has little chance of becoming law without government support and ministers have resisted calls to act, insisting such decisions rest with the King.
Ms Maskell said the legislation could have wider implications beyond Prince Andrew, including allowing rogue members of the House of Lords to be stripped of their rank.
It comes after a new poll showed four in five Britons want Andrew to be formally stripped of the dukedom.
The YouGov poll showed that 63 per cent of nearly 6,700 adults surveyed “strongly” supported the formal abolition of the dukedom, and 17 per cent “somewhat” supported the idea.
Only 6 percent opposed it (4 percent somewhat, 2 percent strongly), while 14 percent did not know.
More to follow…
