It was a shot across the bow for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – and a reminder that the Jeffrey Epstein story is far from over.
US Representative Thomas Massie accused the former Duke of York of “committing sex crimes in the US” during a speech in Congress.
The Republican Congressman said he wanted the “perpetrators” of the Epstein case to be brought to justice and reeled off a list of 14 men, including Andrew, who strongly denies any wrongdoing.
Children among 20 missing after Cyprus ferry sinking
A specialist team equipped to search deep waters was due to arrive from Turkey on Tuesday as emergency crews pressed on with efforts to find 20 people missing after a ferry capsized off northern Cyprus.
What happened?
- A ferry carrying 267 people capsized and sank off the coast of northern Cyprus on Sunday.
- The Filo Jet left the town of Kyrenia and soon started to take on water.
- Survivors reported the ferry moving erratically, with its last hard impact with the water’s surface breaking the bow of the vessel.
Everything we know so far
There are still 20 people unaccounted for, including an unknown number of children.
Passengers interviewed in local media claim they begged the captain to turn around, then were left scrambling for life jackets.
Captain Mustafa Oz, 66, and seven crew members have been arrested over the incident.
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Search efforts continue
Visiting Kyrenia on Monday, Tufan Erhürman, president of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is not recognised by the UK, said the search would “continue with the same intensity, with no interruption, through the day and night”.
A mother, Ayten Bicer, felt her 12-year-old daughter slip from her hands and disappear as the ferry capsized. Her daughter and son, six, are among the missing.
Badenoch’s Tory reshuffle – what you need to know
After she took over as leader of the Tory Party almost two years ago, Kemi Badenoch pledged not to hold a reshuffle before the next general election.
What are the big changes?
- Badenoch has ruthlessly dispatched Stride as shadow chancellor.
- Patel has also been replaced as shadow foreign secretary.
- MPs Andrew Griffith and Tom Tugendhat will replace them.
- Damien Hinds has been selected as the new shadow Health Secretary, while Katie Lam comes in on housing.
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Tories stuck in the polls
One reason for the shakeup is the Conservatives’ position treading water in the shallow end of the polls.
“It’s partly because the Tories are stuck in the polls and can’t budge forward, so they hope a refreshed team will do it. Only time will tell,” one Tory source said.
The latest BMG poll for The i Paper, published this weekend, puts Labour on 27 per cent, Reform on 23 per cent and the Tories on just 18 per cent.
The contradiction for Badenoch is that her personal ratings are improving.
Stride biggest casualty of reshuffle
Stride was one of the biggest names relegated to the backbenches. One insider revealed: “Mel isn’t well liked across the party and hasn’t really waded in on big things.”
They added, though, that he had been held back by a lack of staff – which will need to be remedied if Griffith is to perform better.
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Everything else to know
- Chris Philp survived the cull to remain as shadow Home Secretary. One insider said he “works hard” and had begun to get some traction on illegal immigration.
- Lam has become the new shadow Secretary for Housing. She replaces James Cleverly, who announced on Saturday that he was quitting to run in the next London Mayor election.
- The appointment of Griffith as shadow Chancellor shows Badenoch plans to prioritise the economy in her next election pitch.
Trump may review US stance on Falkland Islands
Donald Trump has indicated he is reviewing the US stance on Britain’s sovereignty over the Falkland Islands.
The US has typically remained neutral on the Falkland Islands, while recognising British administration of them.
What did Trump say?
I always review every position. That’s just one of many.
Trump said the US stance on the status of the Falklands is “one of many” positions he is considering.
In April, a Pentagon memo was leaked suggesting the US could recognise Argentina’s claim to the islands to punish Britain for not joining the war on Iran.
US officials also reportedly considered including the option as a way to pressure the UK to hit its Nato spending targets.
The British response
Chancellor John Healey told he was not aware of a suggestion that the US position could change.
“The Falkland Islands will remain British as long as the Falkland Islands want that to happen,” he added.
But last week, a US official told that Washington may change its position over the islands if the UK doesn’t meet its defence spending commitments.
Trump wades into Falkands dispute
It’s the first time Trump has commented on the islands’ sovereignty.
The UK would struggle to defend the Falklands if Trump followed through on threats to withdraw US support for British sovereignty, analysts have warned.
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Uk politics
Former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer is to quit Parliament, saying he felt it was the “right time” to step down as an MP just weeks after leaving Downing Street.
His resignation will trigger a by-election in his Holborn and St Pancras constituency, where Starmer’s majority was cut by 17 per cent in the 2024 election amid anger over Gaza.
What we know so far
- Starmer told the he had spent the summer reflecting and decided it was the “right time” to go.
- He said he intends to focus on international affairs – including defence, security, trade and technology.
- Green Party leader Zack Polanski could use the by-election to make a run for Parliament.
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What has Starmer said?
It has been a huge honour and privilege to represent the best constituency in the country and to have taken over from Frank Dobson, who was such a great constituency MP and a member of the last Labour government.
keir starmer in the camden new journal
What next for the former PM?
Starmer said he intends to pursue a career working on international affairs and continue his long-running campaign against violence against women and girls.
He has already been linked with the post of NATO secretary-general when Mark Rutte’s term ends in 2028, although there is no suggestion that he has formally put himself forward for the position.
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It was an extraordinary moment for the former duke of York, who was accused of having sex with Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre in 2001 when she was 17 – they settled a civil battery lawsuit she brought against him.
The former prince was arrested in February by Thames Valley Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office and police later said they were looking into sex trafficking as part of their inquiry.
Yet the fact that an American politician was willing to go there puts Andrew on notice that he is far from past further Epstein humiliation.
Andrew has already had his royal titles stripped by his brother, King Charles, who also kicked him out of his grace and favour home, Royal Lodge.
Massie represents a new danger to the former duke because he has nothing to lose and is leaving office in January.
He has clashed repeatedly with Donald Trump over the Epstein files to the extent that the President backed a challenger in the Republican primary in Massie’s Kentucky district earlier this year.
Massie lost, meaning that he has four months left to cause as much trouble as he can, which is bad news indeed for Andrew.
That could come in the form of the second part of the Epstein Files Transparency Act, or EFTA II as it is being called.
Massie was instrumental in passing the first EFTA, which Trump signed into law in November and forced the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make public three million files related to Epstein.
It wasn’t pretty for Andrew.
Writing as “The Invisible Man”, he traded jokes with Epstein’s “madam” Ghislaine Maxwell and talked to Epstein about inviting girls to Buckingham Palace.
There were appalling messages from 2010, such as Epstein offering to send Andrew a 26-year-old Russian who was “beautiful, trustworthy”.
In other messages from the same year, Epstein gloated about how it was “great fun” to visit Buckingham Palace to see Andrew with four women.
When Epstein offered “more soon”, Andrew gushed: “Yes please!”
There were also emails in which Andrew passed sensitive information to Epstein while he was serving as the UK’s trade envoy, messages which appear to have led to the British police investigation.
So what can we expect from round two?
If Massie has his way, then three million more files will be made public, which could throw up yet more embarrassing files related to Andrew.
Such material may well be of interest to Thames Valley Police, which is leading the investigation into him in the UK.
If the bill becomes law, Epstein’s victims will get the right to see unredacted files about themselves, a veritable Pandora’s box if Andrew interacted with other women in the paedophile’s orbit.
The bill will also strengthen the ability for local and state prosecutors in the US to get hold of Epstein-related material from the DOJ.
That will be of interest to the Truth Commission in New Mexico, a body set up by state representatives to examine Epstein and the home he had in Santa Fe.
As it stands, there is no provision for forcing Andrew or anyone else outside the US to testify, but the most probably potential effect for the ex-prince is more shame and more disgrace being poured upon him.
Before the files were released, Andrew was reportedly mulling a comeback of sorts and was testing the waters by attending an Easter Sunday service in 2024 with the rest of the Royal Family.
But if new information were to be released in the US, it would put an end to all of that. The Royal Family has endured years of horrendous headlines focusing on the allegations surrounding the former duke and his friendship with Epstein. The King has made his feelings clear, having stripped Andrew of his titles, evicted him from his mansion, and expressed that his and the Queen’s “thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse”.
Any new allegations and Andrew would probably spend the rest of his days at his new home on the Sandringham estate.
Either that or he goes on trial in Britain – a fate that Epstein’s survivors would be delighted to see.