British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure to ensure influencer Andrew Tate is returned to the UK to face rape charges. Tate is to appear at a celebrity boxing match in Dubai, reports TASR according to the DPA and PA Media agencies.
Thirty-nine-year-old Tate, who describes himself as a misogynist, is scheduled to fight American Chase DeMoore at Misfits Mania on Saturday night in Dubai.
Charges in the United Kingdom
He and his brother Tristan face a total of 21 charges in the UK, including rape, assault, human trafficking and forced prostitution.
Police in Bedfordshire have issued a European arrest warrant for the men, but have agreed to let separate trials in Romania for rape and human trafficking be completed first, DPA recalls.
Pressure for extradition to Britain
Tate also faces a civil lawsuit in Britain from four women who have accused him of assault and rape.
The Tate brothers were under house arrest in Romania until February and have traveled abroad, including the United States, since the ban was lifted. Starmer is now facing pressure to use Tate’s trip to Dubai as leverage to extradite him to the UK.
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel said the Tate brothers “face extremely serious allegations and it is long past time they were brought to justice in the UK.”
Calls for the intervention of politicians
“The prime minister must call on the Dubai authorities to arrest them when they visit and extradite them so that a proper trial can take place,” she added.
Attorney Matt Jury of McCue Jury and Partners, which represents the four women who have filed civil lawsuits against Tate, also urged Starmer to take action.
“The British government has a great opportunity this weekend for Andrew Tate to be arrested in Dubai and finally brought to justice in the UK, but we have seen time and time again that Labor ministers, for all their tough talk about tackling sexual violence against women, are reluctant to do what is needed to possibly bring justice to women who claim they have been assaulted and raped,” he noted.
“If you want to teach boys about the dangers of misogyny, start by showing them there are consequences,” Jury added.
