Andy Burnham should tell Donald Trump not to pardon convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, an Epstein survivor and a lawyer for his victims have said.
Lara Blume McGee, who says she was groomed by Maxwell aged 20, has urged the new Prime Minister to ‘make it clear’ Epstein’s former girlfriend should stay behind bars.
Lawyer Spencer Kuvin, who has represented nine Epstein victims, said Burnham ‘has a voice’ over a feared pardon of Maxwell, who is a British citizen.
Trump has not ruled out granting clemency to the former socialite, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on child sex trafficking charges in 2022.
Many survivors are outraged at Trump’s new US attorney general Todd Blanche, who was responsible for moving Maxwell to a minimum-security prison shortly after meeting her last year.
Make sense of the mad world of British politics
Get analysis of the latest stories – including this week’s Clacton by-election – direct to your inbox from Metro’s Senior Politics Reporter Craig Munro. Sign up here.
One of those who railed against Blanche’s confirmation last week was McGee, who was just 20 when she met Maxwell at New York Fashion Week in 2000.
She claims Maxwell used the prospect of modelling connections to lure her into Epstein’s orbit before he abused her.
McGee told Metro: ‘A pardon for Maxwell would not only be a travesty of justice but a devastating message to survivors everywhere. We cannot allow this. We will not allow this.’
As well as being British, Maxwell’s victims were also groomed and abused at her residence in London, according to the US Department for Justice.
Asked what her message would be to the UK’s new Prime Minister, McGee said: ‘Prime Minister Burnham, stand with us.
‘Use your influence to ensure that the UK is a beacon of justice, not a sanctuary for those who exploit and abuse.
‘Make it clear to President Trump and the world that pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell would be a grave injustice that Britain will not tolerate.’
Burnham has agreed to meet Epstein’s victims but is not considering holding a public inquiry into the paedophile’s UK activities, Downing Street confirmed this month.
Kuvin, who has represented Epstein victims since 2006, called on the PM to support an independent statutory inquiry into Epstein and ‘say publicly if credible evidence exists that anyone’ participated in the financier’s crimes.
The attorney added that survivors are ‘extremely concerned’ by talk Maxwell could be pardoned after her lawyers said she would only co-operate with investigations into Epstein’s crimes if granted clemency.
Kuvin told Metro: ‘Victims should never be placed in the position of wondering whether the person convicted of helping facilitate their abuse might be freed because she has information that powerful people want.
‘That would send a terrible message to trafficking survivors everywhere.’
Asked whether Burnham could persuade Trump not to pardon Maxwell, the lawyer said ‘Britain absolutely has a voice’.
He added: ‘I would encourage Prime Minister Burnham and his government to communicate directly to President Trump that clemency for Maxwell would have consequences far beyond American politics.’
Kuvin continued: ‘The Prime Minister could say publicly and privately that Britain believes Maxwell should serve the sentence imposed upon her.’
The lawyer said there are still questions British institutions have to answer about how Epstein was ‘able to operate for so long in plain sight, while surrounded by some of the most powerful people in the world’.
The Senate unanimously passed a resolution last month declaring it’s opposition to any presidential pardon for Maxwell, who has repeatedly denied all wrongdoing.
Senator Jacky Rosen, a Democrat of Nevada, said at the time: ‘It’s frankly horrifying that Trump would entertain the idea of clemency for even a second for a convicted sex trafficker.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘Our thoughts are firmly with the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, who have suffered devastating trauma, and it is right that Ghislaine Maxwell has been handed out a 20-year prison sentence for her role.
‘The Prime Minister is committed to meeting with victims. We are looking at all options to support them.’
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.