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In an unprecedented debate, MPs laid into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor with one serving minister calling him “rude, arrogant and entitled”, as ITV News’ Romilly Weeks reports

The government is set to release all files related to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment as a trade envoy for the UK government, following an opposition day decision in parliament.

This comes after the Liberal Democrats introduced a motion to force the government to disclose information about the former Prince’s activities in the high-level trade role, which he held between 2001 and 2011.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Sir Chris Bryant said that the government will “comply with the terms” of the motion “in full”.

“The government will of course comply with the terms of the Humble Address in full. As I say, we support the motion.”

He added that he had “one caveat”: the government would not release anything that jeopardised the police investigation.

“As the House will know, there is a live police investigation into the former Duke of York after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office,” he told MPs.

“As the police have rightly said, it is absolutely crucial that the integrity of their investigation is protected. And now these proceedings are underway, it will be wrong of me to say anything that might prejudice them.”

Prince Andrew stood down as UK Trade Envoy in 2011 Credit: PA

“Nor will the government be able to put into the public domain anything that is required by the police for them to conduct their inquiries unless and until the police are satisfied.”

The government has not yet set a timeline, but Bryant said they will release the documents “as soon as they possibly can”.

It means that the government will now have to publish all papers relating to Andrew’s appointment, including any vetting and correspondence.

The move comes the day after the government clarified that it would publish a separate batch of documents related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador “in early March”, after the Conservatives forced that decision earlier this month.

Government “must come clean” on Andrew’s appointment, Sir Ed Davey said Credit: House of Commons

The former prince served as trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.

Thames Valley Police has said it is reviewing allegations that Andrew had shared sensitive information with Jeffrey Epstein while serving as the UK’s trade envoy.

He was arrested last Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and released under investigation the same day.

It came after a cache of emails released by the US Department of Justice, which appeared to show the former duke sharing reports of official visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam, and Singapore with the convicted paedophile.

Andrew has consistently denied any wrongdoing relating to Epstein.

The Liberal Democrats introduced the motion via a parliamentary procedure called a “humble address”.

A “humble address” is an arcane mechanism that opposition parties can use for things like calling for papers to be released from government departments.

It’s the same mechanism the Conservatives used to press the government to release files related to the decision to appoint Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

The Liberal Democrats’ motion called for the government to “lay before the house all papers relating to the creation of the role of special representative for trade and investment and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s appointment to that role”.

It also specified that documents which might detail any advice given by Peter Mandelson to the then Prime Minister about the “suitability of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor for the appointment”.

Mandelson was a cabinet minister under both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, overlapping with the period when Andrew was appointed trade envoy in 2001.

Mandelson was separately released on bail last night after his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office, having been accused of passing highly sensitive government information to Epstein during his time as business secretary.

Watch: Lord Mandelson was escorted out of his house in Camden on Monday by a plain clothes police officer.

Sir Ed Davey said: “The public is rightly demanding to know how Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was appointed to represent our nation in a high-level trade role. The Liberal Democrats are moving a binding motion to force the Government to come clean.”

“We need to see the vetting files, the due diligence reports, and the correspondence to understand how this appointment came to be, and whether glaring warning signs were missed,” he said in a statement.

“There’s also a much broader principle at stake here. No one, regardless of their title or their friends, should be beyond the scrutiny of Parliament.”

“It is time to end the age of impunity, scrap rules that stifle scrutiny or debate, and ensure that everyone in public office – no matter how powerful – can be held properly to account.”

Separately, the Commons Business and Trade Committee has said it will “begin gathering information immediately so that we might stand ready to launch an inquiry” into Andrew’s role as a trade envoy.

However, following reports that could be within weeks, the committee’s chair, and Labour MP, Liam Byrne, clarified on Tuesday afternoon that any investigation would only be launched when “the police and criminal justice system action has concluded”.

He added that the committee will write to ministers on the issue, “and we will come back to the House with our opinion about whether an inquiry should be launched”, depending on the information they gather.

This is the Talking Royals – our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson…