"He needs to do the right thing" — Epstein survivor says King "hasn't done enough" ahead of US trip

[0:00] There's over 1,200 Epstein survivors. [0:03] No, he hasn't done enough. [0:07] I would say to the king that he needs to do the right thing [0:10] and support a public inquiry. [0:12] The heart of this story are the horrific crimes [0:14] of the convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. [0:16] I've been speaking to Lisa Phillips, a survivor of Epstein's abuse. [0:19] Lisa, you've been on Newsnight many times before. [0:21] We've spoken before, but it's great to have you here in London. [0:24] Explain why you are here in London. [0:26] Thank you. It's good to finally see you in person. [0:27] So I went to Westminster this week to meet with politicians. [0:32] Ed Davey, MP Ed Davey, has been very supportive of Epstein survivors. [0:37] He was one of the initial ones who called for a public inquiry. [0:41] And that's what you'd like to see as a public inquiry here in the UK [0:44] into Epstein's interactions with Britain, essentially? [0:49] Well, yes. [0:51] I'm here to call for a public inquiry into the crimes [0:54] of Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell [0:56] and their child sex trafficking ring, [1:00] global sex trafficking ring. [1:02] The Prime Minister is facing criticism again for appointing Peter Manilson [1:07] to the job of ambassador to the United States. [1:10] When there were a lot of warnings, it seems, at various stages about doing that. [1:15] How does that make you feel that there were warnings [1:18] and they went ahead and appointed him anyway? [1:21] Yeah, I don't really understand why he was warned and he knew about his past [1:26] and he was able to still appoint him as ambassador. [1:29] Obviously, we don't know the details of why his vetting was blocked, [1:33] or whatever it might be. [1:34] But there's this sort of language keeps being used. [1:37] It was a risk worth taking, [1:39] that it was known that he had the friendship with Epstein before. [1:43] How does that make you feel that that association was seen as a risk worth taking? [1:50] Well, I'm not sure if it's a risk worth taking. [1:52] Mandilson was living in his house while he was in prison for pedophilia. [1:57] So why would you, as a person of his calibre, stay at a known pedophile's home? [2:03] It doesn't make sense to me. [2:05] Keir Starmer, a couple of months ago, back in February, [2:08] said, at the height of the last time that Peter Manilson was in the headlines, [2:12] said, speaking to victims, he said, [2:14] I'm sorry, I'm sorry for what was done to you. [2:16] Sorry that so many people with power failed. [2:19] Sorry for having believed Manilson's lies and appointed him. [2:22] And sorry even now that you're forced to watch this story unfold in public once again. [2:26] And yet here we are two months later and it's unfolding in public once again. [2:31] How do you feel now? [2:33] Well, I just don't understand if he's so sorry. [2:36] Why doesn't he just initiate a public inquiry? [2:40] He has the power to do it. [2:42] If you're so sorry, why don't you do what's right for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Glenn Maxwell [2:46] and issue a public inquiry that'll look into these crimes, [2:51] that'll look into, you know, who was there, why did it happen, [2:54] and how to prevent it in the future. [2:56] To what extent, because clearly this whole thing has gone to the question of judgment of Keir Starmer [3:02] as prime minister to have appointed him and kept him there, [3:06] and only then later when some of the Epstein files came out decided to sack him. [3:11] Does that make Keir Starmer suitable to be prime minister? [3:17] Well, I just think that you're misleading the public, right? [3:21] You're saying one thing, and then when the files comes out, [3:25] because they didn't anticipate the files would ever come out, [3:28] then you have to change your story, because now the public knows what really went on. [3:33] I'm not sure if that qualifies you for prime minister, [3:38] but if you've made mistakes, the best way is to prove to the public [3:44] that you want to do the right thing, and the best thing that you can do, [3:48] what the public wants, what the Epstein survivors want. [3:51] Whether you're from the U.S., the U.K., the Commonwealth, globally, [3:55] everybody wants a public inquiry, [3:58] because then we can find out what went wrong and how to prevent it in the future. [4:02] It's the only way to get the correct answers of what's really going on. [4:05] This is obviously the first time we've spoken on Newsnight in person. [4:08] It's also the first time I think you've been on since you joined Victoria in Washington [4:13] for our special program. [4:14] I mean, it was an extraordinary moment to have so many survivors together telling their stories. [4:20] Yeah, it was powerful. [4:21] It was an amazing moment, and such a powerful emotional watch. [4:26] How do you feel now looking back on that with the passage of time? [4:30] Looking back on the conversation with Victoria? [4:34] Well, it was very powerful for me when we held up the pictures of us [4:37] at the age when we were abused. [4:39] It was difficult for all of us. [4:41] That's when we, you know, teared up. [4:44] Looking at that age, people have to understand the age that we were. [4:48] We were young women and teenagers at the time, [4:52] and that's what we're really looking to protect here. [4:55] Can you tell me a bit about why, [4:56] because clearly some survivors have come forward and appear on Newsnight, [5:01] and we're really grateful for that because it's a really important story for us to cover, [5:04] but others don't and haven't. [5:06] Tell me why you are in London doing this. [5:10] You could be at home. [5:11] You could be doing something else. [5:12] Why do you persist with it? [5:16] Yeah, there's probably better things I could be doing, [5:18] but the most important thing is this is about children, [5:20] and there were over 1,200 survivors of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. [5:25] A lot of them were under 18 years old. [5:28] This is the most important thing to me is speaking out for survivors. [5:31] It's the whole reason why I did at Capitol Hill was to speak out and call to survivors, [5:36] you know, that we are the ones that we're being brave right now, [5:39] but all of us are scared and frightened, and all of us don't know what the future holds. [5:43] But what we do know is that the most important thing is to shed light on what's been going on [5:49] and just being protective of these children. [5:54] And a lot of women came forward in the U.K., whether through their attorneys or through the Metropolitan Police or the local police station. [6:03] They've come forward. [6:04] They've filled out, you know, what happened to them. [6:08] What went wrong? [6:09] Why? [6:09] Why wasn't that looked into? [6:11] Why do you do? [6:12] And, yeah, you see a lot of us U.S. survivors coming forward. [6:16] But I do know there are U.K. survivors. [6:18] And that's why I'm here. [6:20] That's why I'm here. [6:21] That's why I met with the MPs, is to shed light on what's really going on [6:27] and just find out what's going on through victims coming forward in the U.K. [6:31] Well we really appreciate you doing that because it's important for you and your [6:34] stories to be told. In the next week or so we've got the King is going to the [6:39] United States on a state visit. How do you feel about that happening at this [6:45] precise moment when there were still all the questions that you're talking about? [6:48] Well the King has already said that he cannot meet with survivors over there [6:52] but what the King can do is he can support a public inquiry. I mean he's in [7:00] part he said it's because of a live legal cases that he doesn't want to get [7:03] involved in but would you would you like to have met him? I understand that he [7:07] doesn't want to get involved but when I was assaulted on the island there was [7:11] someone there that he's related to that was on that island and and for my [7:15] protection and for what happened to me I don't understand why there was a royal [7:20] on the island on the same day that I was assaulted. Do you think I mean he's [7:27] clearly the King has done a lot since he became King he's removed the titles and [7:32] the residents of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Do you feel he's done [7:36] enough? There's over 1,200 Epstein survivors. No he hasn't done enough he [7:47] needs to stand up for so many survivors that went through this that was [7:52] assaulted between Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein. What if she's pardoned by [7:56] our president of the United States? What if she's pardoned and she's just free? [8:00] She hasn't been held accountable in the in the UK. This is the reason why a public [8:05] inquiry is so important. It's because her crimes need to be looked into. We need to [8:11] understand why Mendelssohn was able to hang out in a pedophiles house. We need to [8:16] understand why six survivors filled out forms to say they were assaulted. What [8:22] happened to them? Why why haven't they been looked into? There there's so many [8:27] reasons why this public inquiry is so important. I'm not the only one here. I [8:31] represent hundreds of survivors. And so if the king or the queen were to see this [8:38] conversation we're having what's your message to them? I would say to the king [8:47] that he needs to do the right thing and support a public inquiry. Have the heart [8:53] for victims of assault. I know in the UK you guys are empathetic to victims of [9:00] sexual assault and I would also say to the Prime Minister that he has the power to [9:05] issue a public inquiry just like that. You know and to do the right thing. If [9:11] you're so sorry do the right thing. Lisa we really appreciate you talking to us [9:17] right and and going over it again and again I realize is really tough but you [9:22] know on Newsnight we've been really careful to try and tell the story so we [9:26] really appreciate you joining us. Thank you. I appreciate you. Thank you. Lord [9:29] Madison has repeatedly let it be known. He believes he's not acted criminally, did [9:32] not act for personal gain and is of course cooperating with the police.