DAILY MAIL COMMENT: Andrew remains a dangerous liability
More than five years on, Prince Andrew's disastrous BBC Newsnight interview continues to reverberate.
Newly emerged emails show the Duke of York was still on friendly terms with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein two months after he claimed he had cut him off.
In front of the TV cameras in 2019 the duke said he ceased contact with Epstein in December 2010.
Now it is clear the pair were talking over email after that date – until at least late February 2011 – with the duke even telling the convicted paedophile: 'Keep in close touch and we'll play some more soon.'
It is only the latest imbroglio to centre on the duke, who has repeatedly dragged the Royal Family's reputation through the mire over lurid allegations about his personal life.
He has made a multi-million-pound out-of-court payment to a woman who claims Epstein directed her to have sex with the royal when she was 17.
He denies any illegality and has not been convicted of any offence.
![Newly emerged emails show the Duke of York was still on friendly terms with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein two months after he claimed he had cut him off](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/01/00/94744583-0-image-m-2_1738370257834.jpg)
Newly emerged emails show the Duke of York was still on friendly terms with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein two months after he claimed he had cut him off
Arrogant and irredeemably avaricious, Andrew has been unwilling to explain how he can afford the upkeep of Royal Lodge at Windsor; and he had a suspected Chinese spy as a 'close confidant'.
This latest in a seemingly endless series of conundrums about his conduct further underlines how the prince is a dangerous liability to the monarchy.
Travesty of justice
The decision to ban the naming of the judge who granted custody of Sara Sharif to her father before he murdered her throws up ever more troubling questions.
Yes, this controversial ruling was later overturned by the Court of Appeal.
But why did such an affront to open justice happen in the first place?
We now learn that the judge whose identity was kept secret from the public was Alison Raeside, who sits on the board of HM Courts and Tribunals Service.
As Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has pointed out, there needs to be proper scrutiny of whether her position of influence had any bearing on this improper gagging order.
And the judiciary needs to properly investigate the whole affair in order to ensure this travesty is never repeated.
A law unto himself
Sir Keir Starmer's decision to appoint his old pal Lord Hermer as Attorney General is looking less sustainable by the day.
Labour ministers have begun privately briefing against the KC, and have even described him as an 'activist'.
It is becoming clear, then, that Lord Hermer is regarded by his own colleagues as a constant block on Labour's much-vaunted 'plan for change'.
Our lawyerly PM – a former human rights barrister – reveres international law and built a solid career at the Bar deploying it against the government of the day.
![Lord Hermer is regarded by his own colleagues as a constant block on Labour's much-vaunted 'plan for change'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/01/00/94744657-14348671-Lord_Hermer_is_regarded_by_his_own_colleagues_as_a_constant_bloc-m-5_1738371028861.jpg)
Lord Hermer is regarded by his own colleagues as a constant block on Labour's much-vaunted 'plan for change'
![Our lawyerly PM – a former human rights barrister – reveres international law and built a solid career at the Bar deploying it against the government of the day](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/02/01/00/94744661-0-image-a-5_1738370453297.jpg)
Our lawyerly PM – a former human rights barrister – reveres international law and built a solid career at the Bar deploying it against the government of the day
His Attorney General is cut from the same cloth.
But even though now in government, Lord Hermer has repeatedly refused to clarify the full nature of his role representing ex-Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.
There are outstanding questions about potential conflicts of interest, after the barrister advocated for jihadi bride Shamima Begum and set out to prove the SAS were guilty of a 'war crime' in Afghanistan.
If Sir Keir is telling the truth about his ambition to improve Britain's lot, he should despatch Lord Hermer back to the Bar forthwith.