The UK Secretary of Defence, John Healey, has called for a full investigation to determine whether convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used his private jets to traffic women and girls into the United Kingdom via Royal Air Force (RAF) bases.
According to The Telegraph, Healey has requested that British officials review Ministry of Defence documents spanning two decades to verify any connections between Epstein’s aircraft and RAF facilities.
The inquiry follows recent calls by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown for an investigation into whether Prince Andrew, Duke of York, used taxpayer-funded flights and RAF bases to meet with Epstein. Brown specifically highlighted a Gulfstream flight that landed at Norfolk RAF base in December 2000, just prior to a visit to the Sandringham House royal residence with Mountbatten-Windsor.
Prince Andrew was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct while serving as a UK trade envoy. He allegedly sent confidential government documents to Epstein. A spokesperson for the intelligence committee stated: “We are moving quickly to publish the first batch of documents in early March.”
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer previously removed Peter Mandelson from his ambassadorial post following revelations about his links to Epstein. Starmer faces ongoing political scrutiny regarding the initial appointment.
The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) is also reviewing Mandelson’s actions during his tenure as the UK Trade Commissioner in Brussels from 2004 to 2008, following a request from the European Commission.
