Downing Street refuses to make time for MPs to debate Prince Andrew's conduct

The authorities is refusing to marque clip successful parliament for MPs to statement the behaviour of Prince Andrew amid a flood of caller allegations against him.

The premier minister's spokesperson told reporters: "Prince Andrew has already confirmed helium volition not usage his titles.

"We enactment the determination made by the Royal Family, and we cognize the Royal Family would not privation to instrumentality clip from different important issues."

The lone mode for MPs to sermon the disgraced royal's relationship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his peppercorn rent for a mansion would beryllium for the authorities to marque clip successful the parliamentary timetable.

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Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has said determination is nary prohibition connected MPs discussing the behaviour of a subordinate of the Royal Family, but it would person to beryllium connected a "substantive motion" alternatively than during regular question clip sessions.

Substantive motions tin beryllium tabled by the government, absorption parties successful absorption time debates, and by backbenchers done an exertion to the Backbench Business Committee.

In effect to repeated questions from journalists astir wherefore Number 10 was blocking a statement successful the main chamber, the spokesperson said: "I don't judge that. Any determination by committees to scrutinise developments are a substance for them."

Asked whether No 10 viewed it arsenic a discarded of parliamentary clip to sermon Andrew's lease of the Royal Lodge connected a peppercorn rent, the spokesperson said: "That's not what I've said."

The seat of parliament's Public Accounts Committee, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, said successful a connection connected Thursday that they volition beryllium "writing successful the coming days to the Crown Estate Commissioners and HM Treasury, seeking further accusation connected the lease arrangements for Royal Lodge".

"We volition reappraisal the effect we person to our forthcoming correspondence, and volition see astatine that clip whether to question further information," helium added.

The premier minister's spokesperson said earlier that Sir Keir Starmer "supports due scrutiny of the crown estates and each uses of taxpayers' money", and appeared to backmost a committee probe during Prime Minister's Questions connected Wednesday.

Calls for dukedom to beryllium revoked

Pressure has been rapidly expanding connected the King's member - who announced past week helium would halt utilizing his Duke of York rubric and his knighthood - aft revelations successful the posthumous memoir of his enactment accuser, Virginia Giuffre.

Reports besides emerged implicit the play that claimed Prince Andrew asked a royal adjacent extortion serviceman to "dig up dirt" connected the precocious Ms Giuffre.

As a effect of these caller allegations, the Metropolitan Police said it is "actively looking into the claims".

There are increasing calls for his dukedom to beryllium formally revoked, which tin lone beryllium done by an enactment of parliament, and for him to springiness up his 30-room Royal Lodge location successful Windsor Great Park aft it emerged helium paid a peppercorn rent for much than 20 years.

'We are guided by the palace'

Commons person Sir Alan Campbell was asked connected Thursday whether MPs would person clip to statement a question enactment guardant by the Scottish National Party to make a caller instrumentality to formally portion Andrew of his dukedom.

The person of the SNP successful Westminster, Stephen Flynn, said: "I person laid a question earlier this House which calls connected the authorities to perceive to parliamentarians and to perceive to the nationalist and to perceive to victims and instrumentality legislative enactment to region the dukedom from Prince Andrew.

"When is the authorities going to travel guardant with that legislation?"

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Sir Alan said: "I cognize that there's been speculation astir legislation. But the palace person been wide that they recognise that determination are different matters that this House needs to beryllium getting connected with, and we are guided successful this by the palace.

"That doesn't mean that the House can't find ways of debating these matters, whether it beryllium the substance of titles, oregon whether it beryllium a substance of the finances, which I cognize are nether question here."

Prince Andrew has repeatedly and vehemently denied the claims against him made by the precocious Ms Giuffre.

But a Buckingham Palace root has told Sky News that the "new allegations that person been brought up" are of "very superior and sedate concern" and "should beryllium examined successful the due and fullest ways".