MPs will threaten to escalate their scrutiny of the Royal Family amid Andrew saga

Westminster is preparing to press for greater scrutiny of the Royal Family.

MPs will return to Parliament today after a week-long recess for answers to the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal.

The former prince is under investigation for allegedly leaking confidential information to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and other wealthy connections while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.

As the House of Commons meets for the first time since his arrest, MPs from across parties are preparing to press for answers about how he was able to represent the nation for a decade with seemingly minimal oversight.

Despite concerns about his questionable friendships, Andrew was allowed to travel the world on his public purse almost unrestricted from 2001 to 2011.

His downfall has renewed calls for greater transparency about the Royal Family, which is largely immune from Freedom of Information requests and wider Parliamentary scrutiny.

Education Minister Bridget Phillipson yesterday ruled out a judge-led investigation into the former Duke.

“Our position is that we need to keep all those options open, but we need the police investigation to continue, so nothing will happen while that police investigation is ongoing,” he told GB News. ‘We believe that all options should be open to consideration. This is extremely serious.’

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was allowed to travel the world on a public purse almost unrestricted from 2001 to 2011

King Charles, who fully supported the police, had tried to control the problems surrounding his brother by stripping Andrew of his titles and expelling him from the Royal Lodge at Windsor.

Under long-established conventions set out in Erskine May (the parliamentary rulebook), MPs have traditionally been discouraged from offering opinions on the monarchy.

The Liberal Democrats are considering forcing a House of Commons vote to overhaul the rules by holding an opposition day debate tomorrow.

Labor groups are making similar noises, and this weekend a former Tory minister called for the public to be reassured that parliament is doing its best.

Critics say the secretive rules fostered a culture of respect that shielded Andrew from scrutiny while he was a trade ambassador.

“People increasingly feel there is one rule for those in power and another for everyone else,” said Liberal Democrat Cabinet Office spokeswoman Lisa Smart MP.

‘This crisis must trigger an operation to clean up public life from top to bottom,’ he added.

Labor MP Rachael Maskell also called for the congresses to be cancelled. ‘We can’t let privilege hinder scrutiny,’ he said.

Former Liberal Democrat minister Norman Baker has admitted parliamentary rules need to be ‘relaxed’ to allow proper debate in the House of Commons.

He added: ‘Whether you are a monarchist or a republican, the Royal Family is part of the public sector. ‘They carry out public functions and are paid with public money, so they are no different from the public service, the local council or the NHS, and should not be exempt because that is what they have become.’

The former MP, who wrote the Royal Mint, National Debt, about the monarchy’s finances, added: ‘Andrew opened the flood gates; people are now looking at a number of royal issues.

King Charles, who fully supported the police, had tried to control the problems surrounding his brother by stripping Andrew of his titles and expelling him from the Royal Lodge at Windsor. But the monarch now faces pressure to reveal what the family knows about Andrew’s behaviour.

The Mail on Sunday revealed the King was warned that his surname was being ‘exploited’ by Andrew’s connections.

In a bombshell email, a whistleblower told the Palace as long ago as 2019, when Charles was still Prince of Wales and his mother was on the throne, that Andrew had secret financial links with controversial millionaire financier David Rowland, who exploited his royal connections.

Ms Smart said full transparency was needed, starting with Andrew giving evidence to a parliamentary committee once the police investigation concluded. He also called for a ‘full legal investigation’ to find out what allowed ‘such generational corruption to flourish’.

MPs are expected to ask urgent questions this afternoon about Andrew’s removal from the line of succession and also call on the King to publish all communications linked to Epstein.

Any independent investigation would be designed to establish the facts of Andrew’s links to Epstein, as well as wider problems or failings in his position as trade envoy.

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat said Peter Mandelson, a royal and Labor member accused of leaking information to Epstein when he was business secretary, should also face a parliamentary treason investigation.

The Conservative MP told The Sun: ‘Parliament must send a clear message; ‘Britain will defend itself against any threat, even if it comes from the top’.

The business and trade committee, which will discuss its options tomorrow, is considering launching a parliamentary inquiry into the former prince.