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MPs are usually wary of openly criticising British royals in the Commons. Tuesday was a notable exception. Aside from the fact that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested over allegations of misconduct in public office as a trade envoy, the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle, let it be known that there was no prohibition on criticising royals in the chamber.
And so a number of MPs did:
1. Chris Bryant, Labour MP and trade minister
“Colleagues and many civil servants have told me their own stories of their interactions with Mr Mountbatten-Windsor, and they all betray the same pattern: a man on a constant self-aggrandising and self-enriching hustle; a rude, arrogant and entitled man who could not distinguish between the public interest, which he said he served, and his own private interest.
“Of course, we knew much of what is now in the public domain a very long time ago. It is all very well for some of us to say: ‘If only we had known then what we know now,’ but I am afraid that doesn’t wash with me. We did actually have plenty of warning.”
2. Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central
“I first raised my concern because my constituency carries the name of York and the Duke of York’s ambassadorial associations with our city were causing much concern in my community …
“No longer can these powerful men swan around the world having these conversations, gaining more power and exploiting whoever crosses their path without being held accountable.”
3. Monica Harding, Liberal Democrat MP
“In the early noughties, I was working overseas with the British Council. Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor visited us as part of his role as a UK trade envoy. Before his arrival, senior staff in both the embassy and the British Council were rolling their eyes – his reputation preceded him.
“I was told that it was a ‘containment’ exercise, that overseas missions feared putting him out there in case he said something inappropriate, that he was arrogant and that he was not on top of his brief. Rather than looking forward to his visits as an opportunity to promote Britain, it was instead thought that he would do damage.”
4. Anna Sabine, Liberal Democrat MP
“Although this debate concerns Mountbatten-Windsor, it is not about one man; it is really about the structural sexism embedded in our institutions. Violence against women and girls does not persist in this country for a lack of speeches in this chamber, but because, structurally, it is still not treated as foundational to our policymaking …
“This is not a party political issue, nor is it about individual commitment; it is about whether the system itself is designed to prioritise women’s safety. Too often, it is not.”
5. Siân Berry, Green MP
“The royal family is sheltered from scrutiny in too many ways, and it is now very clear what a risk that poses. We have heard many examples of MPs facing restrictions on what we can ask about royal activity, but it is reasonable and right that we should scrutinise fully any work that they do on the country’s behalf, and consider how those restrictions might be removed.”
