Government U-Turns on Epstein Inquiry
The government appeared to backtrack on Wednesday over a possible public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein’s activities in Britain, hours after two ministers had said it was “looking into” the idea. Downing Street said the Prime Minister was “not actively considering” an inquiry “for now”, and ruled one out for the time being. The mixed messages left campaigners frustrated.
The muddle handed the government an unnecessary headache and revived questions about the disgraced financier’s British connections that ministers had seemed, briefly, willing to examine. Epstein, who died in a US jail in 2019 awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, moved in elite British circles, and pressure for a fuller accounting has persisted. That the confusion unfolded while Andy Burnham is on holiday, with his deputy standing in, sharpened the sense of a government not fully in step. Campaigners for the victims want clarity. Watch whether the demand for an inquiry resurfaces once the Prime Minister returns.