UK weighs public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein and Mohamed Al-Fayed

Alex Davies-Jones said Andy Burnham was "looking into" a public inquiry into Jeffrey Epstein's UK activities, while the government also reviewed whether Mohamed Al-Fayed should face the same scrutiny. The victims minister said Burnham had agreed to meet Epstein's victims as pressure built for a formal accounting of who knew what, and when.

The case for widening any inquiry rests on more than one scandal. BBC reporting said Epstein's UK flights had alleged British abuse victims on board, while a separate release of court papers showed how dozens of girls were recruited at his beachfront mansion. A Florida detective testified that 30 women had spoken to him about "performing massage and work" there, adding to questions about the network around Epstein and the failures that let it operate.

For survivors, the central issue is not just Epstein's conduct but the institutional response in Britain. A statutory inquiry could examine how complaints were handled, whether warnings were missed, and whether wealthy, well-connected men were able to move across borders while allegations followed them. Sky News said Davies-Jones delivered a letter to No 10 Downing Street calling for a statutory public inquiry and asking Sir Keir Starmer to meet survivors.

The pressure has also moved into Parliament. An Early Day Motion titled "Public inquiry into Epstein links" was tabled on 5 February 2026 and had drawn 95 signatories, a visible sign that calls for formal scrutiny are no longer confined to campaigners and victims alone. The motion adds parliamentary weight to demands that any inquiry go beyond individual wrongdoing and look at the enablers, gatekeepers and missed warnings around Epstein's UK ties.

Epstein died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. His death ended the criminal case against him, but the disputes over how he operated, how complaints were handled, and whether British institutions ignored clear warning signs have continued to grow, now pulling Al-Fayed into the same debate.