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Prince Andrew Should 'Of Course' Cooperate With US Epstein Investigation, Says Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer has said “of course” Prince Andrew should cooperate with US law enforcement in the case surrounding paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell appeared in court in the US on Thursday accused of helping disgraced financier Epstein “identify, befriend and groom” multiple girls, including one as young as 14.

The Duke of York, who is a former friend of Epstein, has since been urged to provide information to the investigation by a US attorney.

Speaking to LBC on Monday morning, Starmer said Prince Andrew “will have to justify his own actions”.

“Of course he should cooperate with the US,” the Labour leader said.

“It doesn’t matter who you are, you cooperate with the law enforcement authorities when they require you to do so.”

Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell.
Audrey Strauss, acting US attorney for the Southern District of New York, speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell.

It comes after a friend of Maxwell said she would “never” disclose information about Prince Andrew.

Former investment banker Laura Goldman said Maxwell regarded Andrew as a friend and was “never going to say anything” about him to investigators.

Goldman, who claims to have known Maxwell since she moved to the US, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday she would “have to” go for a plea deal with prosecutors.

Asked if Maxwell would speak about the duke as part of the investigation, Goldman said: “She has always told me she would never, ever say anything about him.

“I think she felt he was her friend and she was never going to say anything about him.

“She felt in the 90s when her father died that Prince Andrew was there for her.”

Goldman said she last spoke to Maxwell “a couple of weeks ago”, prior to her arrest in New Hampshire on Thursday, adding: “She knew she was coming to the end of the road.”

She claimed Maxwell was a “victim” of Epstein and was always “a little afraid” of him.

Maxwell, daughter of late media mogul Robert Maxwell, has previously denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of sexual misconduct by her former boyfriend Epstein.

At a brief hearing on...

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