British MPs call for rule change to allow criticism of the Royal Family

The arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has prompted calls by British MPs to drop a rare, long-standing convention that has restricted lawmakers from criticizing the Royal Family.

The rules of parliamentary debate have largely prevented MPs from reflecting “upon the conduct of the Sovereign, the heir to the throne, or other members of the royal family.” The provision was most notably invoked by the Speaker of the House of Commons in 2011 to block a Labour MP from raising questions about the former prince’s conduct as a trade envoy and his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

On Tuesday, MPs from all parties called for an end to the “negative privilege” tradition. They also passed a motion demanding that the government release all documents related to Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy in 2001.

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The ex-prince is facing allegations that during his decade-long tenure as an envoy, he passed sensitive government information to Mr. Epstein. Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested last week on suspicion of misconduct in public office. No charges have been laid, and he has denied any wrongdoing.

“Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor shamed our country and the Royal Family,” Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, told the House of Commons.

“But for too long members of Parliament were barred from even raising criticism of him, let alone properly scrutinizing his role as trade envoy,” he added.

Mr. Davey said it was time “to remove the bandages from our mouths.”

He also apologized for defending Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor in 2011 when allegations about the former prince’s relationship with Mr. Epstein surfaced. A photograph had also appeared showing Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor with his arm around 17-year-old Virginia Giuffre, one of Mr. Epstein’s victims, who died by suicide last year.

Mr. Davey, a cabinet minister at the time, had praised Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s work as an envoy, saying he was an “asset to the country.”

“I set out the government’s position as it had been for a decade in support of the prince’s role as the trade envoy,” Mr. Davey explained on Tuesday. “Looking back, and knowing what we all know now, I’m horrified by it. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for the survivors and their families to hear Andrew praised like that.”

Chris Bryant, Minister of State in the Department for Business and Trade, is among the few MPs who have for years raised questions about Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Mr. Epstein. On Tuesday, Mr. Bryant recalled being rebuked by the Speaker for criticizing the ex-prince “because references to members of the Royal Family should be very rare, very sparing and very respectful.”

He added that “the willful blindness of far too many at that time was absolutely spectacular, and it still angers me. The then-prime minister, the then-home secretary and many others in government defended Andrew time and time and time again. I was repeatedly told off.”

Mr. Bryant had repeatedly called for Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor to resign as a trade envoy.

“It is all very well for some of us to say, ‘If only we had known then what we know now,’” he said Tuesday. “But I’m afraid that with me that doesn’t wash. We did actually have plenty of warning.”

The government will comply with the motion and produce whatever documents it can relating to Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor’s time as a trade envoy, he said.

That material is expected to include information from Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, who served as business secretary when Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor was trade envoy.

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Mr. Mandelson, 72, was also a close friend of Mr. Epstein and faces allegations that he passed on government information to the New York financier. The Labour Party veteran was arrested on Monday by London’s Metropolitan Police on suspicion of misconduct in public office. He was released on bail Tuesday, according to a police statement.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been criticized for appointing Mr. Mandelson as ambassador last year, given his well-known connections to Mr. Epstein. Mr. Starmer has said he was not aware of the closeness of their friendship until last fall, when more details surfaced. He has also accused Mr. Mandelson of lying about the extent of the relationship.

Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor has been stripped of nearly all of his titles, but he remains eighth in line to the throne. The government has indicated that it will introduce legislation to remove him from the line of succession.

The change also requires approval from the 14 other realms where King Charles III is head of state, including Canada. So far, the governments of Australia and New Zealand have said they would support dropping Mr. Mountbatten-Windsor as a successor to the King. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office has declined to comment on whether Canada will follow suit.