Takaichi took office last October and rumours of a snap election began circulating almost immediately but observers expected the government to first pass the 2026 budget by March. Takaichi decided not to wait.
“I’m putting my future as prime minister on the line,” she said at a press conference after dissolving the lower house of parliament and calling the general election for 8 February. “I want people to decide directly whether they can entrust the management of the country to me.”
Analysts said the call for a snap election was mainly intended to use Takaichi’s strong popularity to bolster the LDP and reinforce the new coalition’s grip on power.
According to a new opinion poll released by The Asahi Shimbun over the weekened, the LDP is likely to surpass the 233-seat threshold needed for a majority on its own, improving on its current 198 seats. The ruling bloc together is projected to get over 300 seats.
Ahead of the election, however, the yen this week fell to near a two-week low, signalling distress in the economy that could affect the outcome.
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Sanae Takaichi speaks during a press conference in Tokyo on 19 January 2026 (AFP via Getty)
Why does this election matter?
Takaichi is Japan’s first female prime minister. Her approval ratings have been strong since she took power, averaging above 70 per cent. She stands apart from her predecessors by commanding exceptional backing among younger voters, with more than 90 per cent of Japanese voters aged 18 to 29 showing support for her in several polls.
The LDP currently holds 198 of the 465 seats in the lower house after a poor showing in the 2024 general election under Shigeru Ishiba, making it overly dependent on Ishin. Analysts say Takaichi is seeking to win the LDP-Ishin coalition a clearer majority.
A big win for Takaichi may mark a major shift in Japan’s politics, Prof Margarita Estevez-Abe from Syracuse University, who specialises in Japanese politics and political economy, tells The Independent.
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“It will break the political ‘conventional wisdom’ that the LDP needs the electoral cooperation of Komeito to win. The LDP will learn that right-wing populism is the correct winning strategy. Any push toward the centre will vanish from within the LDP,” she says.
Komeito, Estevez-Abe notes, is “the political wing of the Soka Gakkai, which functions as an extremely well-organised political machine” and the LDF relied on it for decades to win elections.
Japanese Communist Party chair Tomoko Tamura, Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki, Centrist Reform Alliance co-leader Yoshihiko Noda, Liberal Democratic Party president Sanae Takaichi, Japan Innovation Party co-leader Fumitake Fujita, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya, Reiwa Shinsengumi co-leader Akiko Oishi pose during a panel discussion at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo on 26 January 2026 (AFP via Getty)
It was long believed the LDP would not be able to win in urban regions without the help of Soka Gakkai, she says. “It was primarily for this reason that the LDP kept Komeito as a junior coalition partner for so long.”
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If Takaichi can turn personal appeal into votes for her party, the LDP will more than offset the losses from cutting ties with Komeito.
But this will come at a price: the loss of a moderate partner will likely weaken Japan’s centre-left forces.
“Cutbacks on welfare benefits for the elderly and increased defence spending will be much easier in a political environment where the centre-left loses much significance,” Estevez-Abe explains.
There are other risks. Any loss of ground could damage the prime minister’s agenda and her standing at home and overseas.
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“Despite Takaichi’s popularity, support for the LDP remains in the 30 per cent range, reflecting ongoing public concerns,” Yuko Nakano, associate director of the US-Japan Strategic Leadership Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, says.
“Additionally, if the public perceives that Takaichi is prioritising politics over policy, this could have negative effects at the ballot box. Opposition parties, including Democratic Party for the People, which previously agreed to cooperate with the LDP on the timely passage of the budget, have already begun criticising her decision as putting economic priorities on the back burner.”
Sanae Takaichi speaks at an election campaign rally in the Akihabara area of Tokyo on 27 January 2026 (Getty)
What do the main parties stand for?
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Liberal Democratic Party:Japan’s ruling party was formed in 1955 by the merger of two conservative parties and quickly became the country’s dominant political force, promoting political stability and a pro-US orientation during a period of uncertainty following the Second World War.
In recent years, a funding scandal has weakened its standing and cost it majorities in both chambers of the parliament. Under Takaichi, the party has attempted to regain public trust with economic relief proposals including a temporary suspension of the consumption tax on food.
LDP supporters attend a campaign rally with Sanae Takaichi in Himeji, Japan, on 29 January 2026 (Getty)
Japan Innovation Party: The right-wing Ishin, as it’s popularly known, presents itself as a “reformist, next-generation party” focused on breaking with traditional Tokyo-centric politics.
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When Komeito quit the ruling coalition, Takaichi brought in Ishin, the third-largest force in the parliament, to form the government.
Headed by Osaka governor Hirofumi Yoshimura alongside businessman Fumitake Fujita, the party sits to the right of Komeito ideologically. As a partner in the ruling alliance, the party has backed a distinctly conservative agenda: strengthening Japan’s military, maintaining male-only imperial succession, and speeding up the restart of offline nuclear reactors.
Centrist Reform Alliance: Started on 22 January by former rivals Komeito and Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, it positions itself as an alternative to Takaichi’s conservative government, campaigning on cost-of-living relief led by a permanent zero consumption tax on food, tighter rules on political funding, and support for low- and middle-income earners. While ideologically mixed and widely seen as a pragmatic, temporary alliance, it promotes more moderate policies on nuclear power, social issues and governance than the ruling coalition.
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Sanae Takaichi waves during an election campaign rally in Himeji on 29 January 2026 (Getty)
Democratic Party for the People: The centre-right party, headed by Yuichiro Tamaki, positions itself somewhere between the conservative LDP and the opposition left. Formed in 2018 by the merger of the Democratic Party and the Party of Hope and reorganised again in 2020, it argues for “policy-first” politics.
“We’ve sought a new form of politics that prioritises policy over political manoeuvring, placing the lives of the people and the economy first,” Tamaki claimed after the election was announced.
Japanese Communist Party: The left-wing party promotes economic equality, a robust welfare state and pacifism, while rejecting military expansion and nuclear energy. The party traces its origin to 1922 when it functioned underground and outside the law. It was formally legalised after the World War.
Now led by Tomoko Tamura, the party argues that Japan should loosen what it sees as an overly dependent relationship with the US and roll back the disputed security laws.
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Yoshihiko Noda of Centrist Reform Alliance greets supporters at an election campaign rally in Yokohama on 28 January 2026 (REUTERS)
Sanseito: The right-wing populist party is campaigning on a “Japanese First” agenda, combining strong nationalism with opposition to globalism, immigration, and what it sees as elite-driven policies. The party led by Sohei Kamiya rose to prominence by tapping into public anger against economic stagnation, inflation, overtourism, and rapid social change.
It’s pushing for stricter immigration controls, tougher defence policies, tax cuts, and selective welfare focused on Japanese citizens, using anti-establishment messaging and social media to mobilise younger, disillusioned voters.
Conservative Party of Japan: After Japan passed the LGBT Understanding Promotion Act in 2023, novelist Naoki Hyakuta and journalist Kaori Arimoto launched the party in opposition.
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The party says that it seeks to “protect Japan’s national polity and traditional culture”, and is defined by a far-right nationalist outlook, including a tendency to downplay the country’s wartime actions, notably the Nanjing Massacre in China.
Reiwa Shinsengumi: The left-leaning, anti-establishment party was founded in 2019 by former actor-turned-lawmaker Taro Yamamoto. It focuses on social justice and inclusion, advocating policies like scrapping the consumption tax, opposing nuclear power, raising wages, introducing basic income, rolling back Japan’s 2015 security laws, and strengthening protections for people with disabilities as well as animals.
It also strongly opposes constitutional changes that it says will expand the powers of the state.
The party gained attention by electing lawmakers with severe disabilities, prompting accessibility reforms in the parliament.
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Hirofumi Yoshimura, Osaka governor and leader of the Japan Innovation Party, delivers a campaign speech in Kobe on 27 January 2026 (Getty)
How many candidates are in the fray?
More than 1,200 candidates are contesting for the 465 lower house seats, with 289 decided in local districts and 176 through a proportional representation system that sees voters cast a separate ballot for a party in larger regional blocs, allowing smaller parties to win seats based on their overall support.
The LDP is fielding the most candidates followed by the Centrist Reform Alliance, Ishin, and Democratic Party for the People.
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Tetsuo Saito, leader of Komeito, at an election campaign rally in Kobe on 27 January 2026 (Getty)
What might a victory for Takaichi signal?
A recent Kyodo News poll suggested that Takaichi’s coalition was on track to secure a majority in the lower house. The survey projected the coalition to win 233 or more of the 465 seats, strengthening the mandate for the prime minister to press ahead with her fiscal and policy agenda.
Analysts warn that a victory for Takaichi may usher into a “new hawkish, anti-welfare and xenophobic era”.
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Takaichi will need allies in the upper house and, without Komeito out of the coalition, her only options are right-wing parties such as Ishin and Sanseito, Estevez-Abe notes. These partners are likely to push for hawkish, nationalist, and anti-welfare policies, meaning there may be few checks on extreme or risky government actions, she says.
“In sum, if Takaichi wins,” she argues, “the market might become the only brake left to stop her government from engaging in follies.”
The economist and former Treasury Secretary under the Clinton administration has also resigned from his role as co-director of the Mossava-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, according to a Harvard spokesperson.
Jason Newton, the spokesperson, confirmed to the Times that Summers’ resignation comes “in connection with the ongoing review by the University of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that were recently released by the government.”
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The news of Summers’ resignation was first reported in The Harvard Crimson, the school’s newspaper.
Economist and educator Larry Summers is resigning from his teaching role at Harvard University just months after his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was revealed in a document release (Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
Summers issued a statement saying he has made the “difficult decision” to retire, adding that he will “always be grateful to the thousands of students and colleagues I have been privileged to reach and work with since coming to Harvard as a graduate student 50 years ago.”
He said that he will now look forward to “engaging in research, analysis and commentary on a range of global economic issues.”
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Summers’ links to Epstein weren’t unknown, but his closeness to accused child sex trafficker only became clear after the federal government released a trance of Epstein’s emails in November.
Summers has not been accused of any wrongdoing related to his friendship with Epstein.
The documents capture private moments between the men, including friendly banter about a Summer’s alleged romantic interest in a woman who was not his wife. Elsewhere, Epstein described himself as Summers’ “wingman.”
In a 2019 email, Summers complained to Epstein that a woman he was interested in was involved with another man.
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“I said what are you up to. She said ‘I’m busy,’” he wrote. “I said awfully coy u are.”
Epstein responded, saying “shes smart. making you pay for past errors. ignore the daddy im going to go out with the motorcycle guy, you reacted well.”
Summers also appeared to use a racist term in one exchange to refer to his attraction to an Asian woman.
“I’d be happy to have a rational affair w yellow peril,” he wrote in the message. Moments before that message, he wrote that he was “way smitten with her so woukd sacrifuce (sic) lots for being w her.”
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The men were having conversations as recently as 2019, more than a decade after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting sex from a child. Summers’ and Epstein’s correspondence continued until July 5, 2019, just a day before Epstein was arrested and charged with child sex trafficking, NBC News reports.
Summers has previously said that he takes “full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.” (Getty Images)
After the November document dump, Summers issued a statement acknowledging the emails and expressing regret for his association with Epstein. He said he was “deeply ashamed” and would take “full responsibility for my misguided decision to continue communicating with Mr. Epstein.”
Shortly after the messages were made public, Summers retreated from public life and stepped down from the board of directors of the OpenAI Foundation. OpenAI is the company that developed ChatGPT.
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“In line with my announcement to step away from my public commitments, I have also decided to resign from the board of OpenAI,” he said in a statement at the time. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have served, excited about the potential of the company, and look forward to following their progress.”
In December, Summers was banned for life from the American Economic Association due to his ties to Epstein. The group said late last year that it accepted Summers’ voluntary resignation.
“Effective immediately, the AEA has imposed a lifetime prohibition on Mr. Summers’ attending, speaking at, or otherwise participating in AEA-sponsored events or activities, including serving in any editorial or refereeing capacity for AEA journals,” it said in a statement at the time.
The Independent has requested comment from Summers.
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Harvard has launched an investigation into its own ties to Epstein, including a review of both donors and employees who might have been close to the disgraced financier.
The university launched a similar probe in 2020, which reportedly turned up only one explicit reference to Mr Summers. The report found that Summers had helped start a program pitched by Epstein.
You can use your current bills to calculate what your future bills will be
The cost of energy is set to fall from April after Ofgem announced its new energy price cap. The typical dual fuel household will now pay £1,641 a year for their energy from April 1, 2026. That’s down from £1,758 based on the cap set on January 1, 2026.
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That’s the typical household, however. You can use your current bills to estimate how much your bills will change by using our interactive calculator.
The price cap sets the maximum you can be charged for unit rates and standing charges – so your bill can be higher or lower than the price cap figure.
The average unit rate for gas is falling from 5.93p per kilowatt hour (kWh) to 5.74p per kWh, while the standing charge is decreasing from 35.09p a day to 29.09p. The average unit rate for electricity is falling from 27.69p per kWh to 24.67p per kWh. The standing charge is rising from 54.75p a day to 57.21p a day.
Tim Jarvis, Director General, Markets, at Ofgem, said: “Today’s announcement will be welcome news for many households. Wholesale energy prices have fallen in recent months, and we’re investing in our network to safeguard the future energy system. The main driver of today’s reduction is the change to policy costs announced by the Chancellor in the budget.
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“Our focus at Ofgem remains on bearing down on the costs within our control, and unlocking the investment needed to support the transition to a more stable energy system over the longer term.
“We’re also seeing encouraging signs of greater engagement and competition, with switching increasing by almost 20% year on year. More households are choosing time‑of‑use tariffs that offer cheaper off‑peak rates, and suppliers are offering a wider range of products, including deals with savings at evenings or weekends.
“The price cap protects households from overpaying for energy, but it’s a safety net. Last year, consumers on fixed deals paid around £115 less than the cap on average, so we’d encourage people to speak to their supplier about the options available and consider whether a different tariff or payment method could help bring their bills down further.”
At the 2026 Bafta awards, big wins for independent British film I Swear and American horror film Sinners were overshadowed by a regrettable moment. Activist John Davidson said the N-word – arguably the most offensive slur in the English language due to the centuries of violence and oppression it carries – while Sinners’ stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award.
Davidson, on whom the film I Swear is based, has Tourette syndrome – including coprolalia which causes the involuntary use of obscene and socially inappropriate words and phrases.
Jordon and Lindo looked shaken and have since expressed their discomfort and disappointment with Baftas’ handling of the situation. In an apology letter to Bafta members, the academy said it was launching a “comprehensive review” into the incident.
Since the incident, Davidson has received extensive online abuse, including accusations that he is a racist – an accusation that fails to consider that this was an involuntary audible compulsion. Davidson has stressed there was no intention behind the word, stating he was “deeply mortified if anyone considers my involuntary tics to be intentional or to carry any meaning”.
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Two things can be true at the same time. While this incident was involuntary, that does not lessen the hurt or offence that Jordan, Lindo and members of the viewing public felt. No one could have prevented Davidson’s involuntary compulsion in the moment.
However, it could have been edited out of the delayed broadcast. In fact, a second slur was removed, but this one was missed. Doing so would have spared viewers from hearing the slur and helped protect Davidson and others with Tourette’s from the abuse that followed. It also could have reduced the spread of misinformation about the condition, which directly undermines the mission of I Swear to teach empathy and kindness towards people with Tourette syndrome.
By broadcasting the Baftas on a two-hour delay in a condensed format, the BBC assumes greater editorial responsibility than with live transmission. It must therefore meet higher standards and be able to justify its editing choices. The BBC failed to do that in this instance, causing undue harm to both black and disabled people.
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There are two main reasons why the Baftas are broadcast at a delay. The first is engagement. The award ceremony lasts three hours, so to help make it less tedious, the broadcast is edited down to two hours.
The second is political. The BBC’s editorial guidelines require them to prevent harm and offence to viewers. Award shows are considered high-risk because they are live and broadcasters cannot control what winners say.
This is often called “the tyranny of live”. As media and communications scholar Paddy Scannell wrote, in live broadcasting “if something goes wrong, the best you can do is damage limitation, for once the words are out of your mouth they are in the public domain and they cannot be unsaid”.
Yet, by broadcasting at a delay to mitigate “the tyranny of live”, broadcasters open up a new can of editorial worms – “the tyranny of the edit”.
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In live broadcasting, when things go wrong, they can often be blamed on live conditions. While this does not necessarily reduce any harm caused, it can reduce culpability. Once a programme has been edited, this no longer applies, raising the editorial standards and making broadcasters accountable for every word spoken and removed.
In other words, broadcasters must be able to justify every editorial choice to their audience, especially when those choices cause harm or censor a political perspective.
Reaction and lessons for the BBC
The BBC has apologised for broadcasting the slur and re-edited the programme for BBC iPlayer. Producers overseeing the coverage told the Guardian that they did not hear the N-word from the broadcast truck due to a technical issue. That would hardly be a reassuring defence of their actions.
Davidson later said that he was assured by Bafta that any swearing would be edited out of the broadcast, and that he felt “a wave of shame” over the incident. He also questioned the decision to seat him so close to a microphone.
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The BBC has also offered no explanation for the post-production removal of sections of My Father’s Shadow director Akinola Davies Jr’s acceptance speech, including a statement of solidarity with “the economic migrant, the conflict migrant, those under occupation, dictatorship, persecution and those experiencing genocide” and the remark “free Palestine”.
Labour MP Dawn Butler has written to the BBC seeking a full explanation for these decisions.
Beyond the immediate fallout, this episode carries wider lessons for the BBC about learning from past errors. Last summer, the BBC was found to have broken harm and offence standards after airing “death, death to the IDF” chants in Bob Vylan’s Glastonbury set. After this incident, they promised to review their protocols around the livestreaming of “high-risk” events. Yet a similar misjudgement happened again.
To maintain public trust and support, the BBC must be more responsive in explaining their editorial choices – and more forthcoming when they get things wrong.
Cuba claims its military fired on a US speedboat that entered territorial waters, killing four people and injuring six in a confrontation on Friday
Antonio Scancariello and Laura Hill
20:05, 25 Feb 2026Updated 20:06, 25 Feb 2026
Cuban military forces have shot at an American boat, resulting in four fatalities and six casualties, according to emerging reports.
Cuba’s Ministry of Interior (MININT) announced today (February 25) that a US speedboat bearing the Florida registration FL7726SH was spotted approximately one nautical mile northeast of the El Pino Channel, near Cayo Falcones in Corralillo Municipality, Villa Clara.
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According to the Home Office’s official account, hostilities erupted when the “violating” craft opened fire on Cuban border personnel, wounding the commander, after Border Guard Troops moved in to identify the vessel.
The statement confirmed the “offending boat opened fire against the Cuban personnel, causing the commander of Cuban vessel to be injured. As a result of the confrontation, at the time of this report, on the foreign side, four aggressors were killed and six were injured, who were evacuated and received medical assistance”.
Cuba’s Home Office further declared: “Cuba reaffirms its commitment to protecting its territorial waters, based on the principle that national defence is a fundamental pillar for the Cuban State in order to protect its sovereignty and stability in the region. Investigations are continuing by the competent authorities to fully clarify the facts.”, reports the Express.
The exchange of gunfire occurs against a backdrop of escalating tensions between the United States and the communist nation, separated by merely 100 miles (160 kilometres) of the Florida Straits, AFP reported. This development follows Washington’s decision to ease the near-total oil embargo on the island, initially imposed by President Donald Trump in January following the U.S. removal of Cuba’s key ally, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela.
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The agency further reported that prior to Maduro’s apprehension by U.S. forces on January 3, Cuba had depended on Venezuela for approximately half its fuel requirements.
In response to concerns from Caribbean leaders, who feared that depriving Cuba of oil would rapidly lead to economic collapse, Washington announced it would permit shipments of Venezuelan oil for “commercial and humanitarian use,” according to AFP.
Daniel Dubois refused a fist bump from world champion Fabio Wardley as the pair came face-to-face at a lively news conference in London.
The world title fight between two of Britain’s biggest punchers takes place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on 9 May.
After some long-winded bickering between the two camps, the fighters – relatively restrained until that point – finally sparked into life.
Wardley said he would “flatten” the challenger. “My power is proven. If there’s time left on the clock, I’m taking you out of the fight,” he added.
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The 31-year-old – with 19 stoppages in 20 wins – will make the first defence of his WBO crown, having claimed the ‘interim’ title against Joseph Parker before being upgraded to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.
Former IBF champion Dubois, 28, is coming off a devastating knockout loss to generational great Usyk last summer.
“If you look back, when it gets dicey, he’s not up for it,” Wardley said of Dubois, who has faced accusations of folding too easily in his three stoppage defeats.
Wednesday’s news conference took place at Dutch Hall, a converted 16th-century church tucked away in the heart of the city.
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Dubois – never one for lengthy monologues – kept his answers short and matter of fact.
But the Londoner was clear in his intention. “Victory by knockout, by any means necessary,” he said.
When the fighters eventually stepped forward for the obligatory face-off, Dubois looked away first as Wardley smirked.
Moments later Wardley extended his fist in a gesture of respect, but Dubois shook his head and refused to engage.
The former glamour model visited an aesthetics clinic on Tuesday with her husband Lee Andrews, where she splashed the cash on course of beauty treatments
20:04, 25 Feb 2026Updated 20:05, 25 Feb 2026
Katie Price has showed off her new face after booking in for a series of tweakments in Dubai. The former glamour model visited an aesthetics clinic on Tuesday with her husband Lee Andrews, where she splashed the cash on course of beauty treatments.
On Wednesday evening she posed for a glamorous selfie in front of the Burj Al Arab, telling fans she had enjoyed a “gorgeous dinner with a gorgeous view”. Katie wore her hair up and showed off her tan in a white dress, accessorising with some gold jewellery.
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The newlyweds both underwent aesthetic tweakments, with the clinic claiming on Instagramthat they have set out a “treatment plan” for Katie “over time” – suggesting she isn’t planning on coming back from her honeymoon any time soon.
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Sharing a snap with Katie and Lee on Instagram, aesthetic practitioner Max McNiel wrote: “It was lovely to see you today @katieprice. It was great to have you both in clinic today & was lovely to meet you both!
“Thank you for trusting me to carry out your treatments & I look forward to seeing you both again soon. A full treatment plan for Katie has been set out to achieve best results overtime.”
It’s not yet known what the Pricey has done to herself, however the clinic says it specialises in ‘lip contouring’.
The mum-of-five, 47, promised fans she would come back to Blighty last week with her new husband, Lee, 43, who hasn’t stepped foot in the country since their bombshell wedding in Dubai.
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After the shock nuptials, the former glamour model returned home to the UK on her own just days later – as her new husband explained she needed to see her children .
She then flew back out to Dubai for their ‘honeymoon’ after the businessman claimed he would come to the UK several times. However, the couple have now been in Dubai for several weeks.
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Last night, the Pricey admitted she’d put on half a stone in weight since meeting Lee, who she teased was a “feeder”. Taking to her Instagram Stories on Tuesday evening, Katie told fans: “I have a confession to make. He is a feeder. I’ve been to the doctors and everything, asked them why… everyone’s saying how I’ve lost weight.”
“I’ve got to sort you out, I’m sorry,” Lee replied. “I’ve actually put on half a stone,” Katie continued. “You’ll be pleased to know I’ve put on half a stone because I can’t stop eating. And you’re eating for one, that’s the truth,” Lee said, referencing recent speculation that Katie was pregnant. She has since confirmed she isn’t. “I’m just comfy,” Katie concluded as the couple enjoyed their meal in Dubai.
Firefighters were called to the property in Church Lane, Thornton le Dale, at 12.45pm on Wednesday (February 25).
North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service said the crew from Pickering pumped the water out of the property and helped a Yorkshire Water engineer to isolate the burst main.
A service spokesperson said: “Crews used main pump, hard suction and a delivery pump to get water out of the property as well as a salvage sheet and small tools to assist a Yorkshire water engineer isolate the water.
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“Once the water had stopped progressing into the property, crews left the incident.”
On 23 February 1981, a group of officers led by Tejero burst into the main chamber of the national parliament, wielding guns and threatening the politicians as a new government was being sworn in. Their aim was to return authoritarianism – six years after the death of the country’s dictator Francisco Franco.
York Central MP Rachael Maskell said the “web” surrounding child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his associates “must be brought to book”.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, whose royal titles were removed in October 2025, was a known associate of Epstein’s and stepped down from his role as UK trade envoy – a position he held from 2001 – in July 2011.
It came after details of his friendship emerged following Epstein’s 18-month prison sentence for soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008.
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Mr Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Thursday (February 19).
He has since been released under investigation and has previously denied any wrongdoing.
Rachael Maskell MP has called for more to be made clear surrounding Andrew’s appointment and time spent as trade envoy, along with the
‘Privilege must not be protected’
In a parliamentary debate held on Tuesday (February 24), Ms Maskell said “unaccountable power must not hide, privilege must not be protected”.
The debate was brought to the House of Commons by the Liberal Democrats, who demanded all papers relating to the creation of Andrew’s role as trade envoy, along with minutes and communications on the vetting of the former prince, be made public.
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The motion also requested correspondence relating to advice from – or provided to – Peter Mandelson, another associate of Epstein’s who was also arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday (February 23).
‘This is the latest blow, in this shameful chapter’
The House passed the motion on Tuesday (February 24) without division.
Trade Minister Chris Bryant confirmed that the government will release the files “as soon as is practicable and possible within the law”.
He indicated that any documents potentially relating to the offence of misconduct in public office may be withheld.
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Tom Gordon MP has welcomed the passing of his party’s motion in Parliament (Image: Supplied)
MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Tom Gordon, said he “welcomed” this news, which he said would “shine a light on Andrew’s dealings”.
He added: “This is the latest blow, in this shameful chapter.
“We’ll continue to call for transparency and restore trust in our political institutions.”
But Ms Maskell has called for more to be done.
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She called the Liberal Democrats’ motion “narrow in scope”, adding: “Clearly the police investigation must take its course, and I am sure it will be deep and thorough because it runs so far, but ultimately, if we are just looking at the appointment, we must also ask about that period of time when Mr Mountbatten-Windsor carried out the role and the implications to wider networks.”
