Burnham Reviewing Public Inquiry Into Epstein Case

LONDON (GNP): Prime Minister Andy Burnham is considering a public inquiry into the UK activities of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones told BBC Newsnight. Davies-Jones said the review is examining what action can be taken now that Burnham, as prime minister, has access to relevant government information.

The minister confirmed that Burnham has agreed to meet with Epstein’s victims, a commitment she said he made before formally taking office. She added that the government is also assessing whether allegations involving the late Mohamed Al Fayed, the former Harrods owner, could be folded into the same inquiry process.

Davies-Jones resigned from Sir Keir Starmer’s government in May, later saying his administration had failed to adequately listen to Epstein survivors. She returned to her post as victims minister following Burnham’s appointment as prime minister, and said she raised the possibility of an inquiry directly with him and with cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo as part of the discussions around her reappointment.

According to BBC Newsnight, Burnham received a document from Labour campaigners working on violence against women and girls as he was finalizing his transition into the role of prime minister. The document proposed a broader “impunity” inquiry examining how powerful men were able to act without consequence, covering not only Epstein but also allegations against Al Fayed and against West Ham co-owner David Sullivan, who has denied the claims made against him.

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On the Epstein matter specifically, the document urged scrutiny of how he was able to travel in and out of UK military airfields aboard his private jet, often accompanied by women he had allegedly trafficked, an issue former prime minister Gordon Brown raised earlier this year.

Epstein survivor Anouska di Georgiou responded to the reports by welcoming the government’s apparent openness to inquiries covering the Epstein, Al Fayed, and Sullivan allegations, while stressing that survivors want concrete action rather than further promises.

Davies-Jones said Burnham has assured her he intends to work with her department on systemic reforms affecting victims across the justice and support system, beyond the scope of any single inquiry.