Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones had told the BBC the British prime minister was looking into holding a probe.
LONDON — Britain’s justice ministry said it is not “actively” considering holding a public inquiry into the U.K. activities of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein after the prospect of a probe was raised by two government ministers.
Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones told the BBC on Tuesday evening that Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham was considering holding an inquiry following discussions with him and Cabinet Secretary Antonia Romeo when she was reappointed victims minister last month.
Asked about a potential inquiry on Wednesday morning, Justice Minister Jake Richards told Sky News the prime minister “will look into it.”
“He’ll take his time, no doubt, to think about the best route for victims, but also to crucially ensure lessons are learned, to make sure that these sorts of things never happen again,” Richards said.
But in a statement to journalists issued later on Wednesday, a Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister is committed to meeting with victims, but a public inquiry is not being actively considered.”
The spokesperson said the department is “reviewing what is possible and will look at all options to support victims and survivors.”
Davies-Jones, who accused the previous Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government of failing to listen to Epstein’s survivors, told the BBC’s Newsnight program Wednesday that Burnham had already agreed to meet the late financier’s victims.
“We are looking into this, we are reviewing what is possible,” Davies-Jones said. “I have been assured that the prime minister is taking this very seriously. He will meet with those victims and he is looking at what is possible, now he has access to all of the information as prime minister to see what action we can take.”
A BBC investigation last year found around 90 flights linked to Epstein arrived and departed at U.K. airports, some with alleged British victims on board.
This article has been updated to include a statement from the U.K. Ministry of Justice.