UK government will release papers on Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy

 

UK government will release papers on Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy

 

Minister confirms documents about 2001 appointment will be available, but not until police investigation is over

 

Pippa Crerar Political editor

Tue 24 Feb 2026 14.53 GMT

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/24/government-documents-andrew-mountbatten-windsor-trade-envoy

 

The government will not oppose a move in parliament to compel ministers to release documents about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as British trade envoy.

 

The trade minister, Chris Bryant, responding to a Lib Dem motion urging that the papers be published, confirmed they would be released but that this would not happen until after the police investigation into the former prince had concluded.

 

Mountbatten-Windsor became the first royal family member to be arrested in modern times when he was held over claims of misconduct in public office. Emails appeared to show him sharing confidential information with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein while working as trade representative.

 

Bryant said: “The government will, of course, comply with the terms of the humble address in full. As I say, we support the motion. But as the house will know, there is a live police investigation into the former Duke of York after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.

 

“As the police have rightly said, it is absolutely crucial that the integrity of their investigation is protected and now these proceedings are under way. It would be wrong of me to say anything that might prejudice them.

 

“Nor will the government be able to put into the public domain anything that is required by the police for them to conduct their inquiries, unless and until the police are satisfied.”

 

Bryant, who as an opposition Labour MP called for Mountbatten-Windsor to be sacked as trade envoy back in 2011, described the former prince as a “rude, arrogant and entitled man” who could not distinguish between the public interest and his own.

 

He said the government was prioritising transparency over defending the initial appointment in 2001, when Tony Blair was prime minister. “If there are things that are embarrassing for the government, who cares? I want to make sure we end up getting justice for the victims,” he said.

 

Keir Starmer’s official spokesperson also said the government was “in favour of the principle of transparency” but added that there was a “balancing exercise” as it could not publish material that would jeopardise a police investigation.

 

The Lib Dems used their opposition day debate on Tuesday to call for the release of papers relating to he former prince’s appointment as trade envoy in 2001, including any correspondence from Peter Mandelson on the issue.

 

The party’s leader, Ed Davey, tabling the humble address said “the public is rightly demanding to know” how Mountbatten-Windsor was first appointed to the role.

 

“There’s also a much broader principle at stake here. No one, regardless of their title or their friends, should be beyond the scrutiny of parliament,” he added.

 

Davey had to apologise for his past support for the former prince as trade envoy. In 2011, when he was a business minister, he said Mountbatten-Windsor was doing an “excellent job” and dismissed concerns around him as “innuendo”.

 

Asked about his defence of Mountbatten-Windsor during the parliamentary debate, he said: “First of all can I apologise to all those victims of Epstein who may have read those words and been upset by them? I really regret them.”

 

He said that he “wasn’t really over the brief” and added there had been no MP who mentioned Epstein in that debate. “I think that tells a tale about how parliament and MPs don’t hold the royal family, didn’t hold [the former] Prince Andrew in that really privileged position, properly to account.”

 

Mountbatten-Windsor held the role of “special representative for international trade and investment” between 2001 and 2011, giving him privileged access to senior government and business contacts around the world.

 

Emails released by the US Department of Justice in the latest tranche of files relating to Epstein include claims that the former prince forwarded government reports from visits to Vietnam, Singapore and China to Epstein in 2010.

 

Elsewhere in the documents, he is also alleged to have forwarded to Epstein information on investment opportunities in gold and uranium in Afghanistan.

 

Mountbatten-Windsor has not responded to requests for comment on specific allegations that have emerged after the release of the files last month. He has previously denied any wrongdoing in relation to Epstein.