Full Analysis Summary
Review of Epstein-linked flights
The Ministry of Defence has opened a formal review after Defence Secretary John Healey ordered officials to check Ministry records for any flights linked to Jeffrey Epstein that may have landed at RAF bases.
The MoD says the move is intended to ensure information relating to Epstein's crimes is uncovered and provided to authorities and to support civilian police investigations.
The review will examine military records and emails, with officials reportedly instructed to 'leave no stone unturned' as they search for evidence.
GB News says the probe will also use flight details supplied by US authorities.
The scrutiny follows public and media attention over a long-running set of disclosures about Epstein's travel to the UK.
Coverage Differences
Tone/Emphasis
All three sources report the MoD review and John Healey’s instruction, but they differ in tone: lbc.co.uk highlights sensational allegations by naming the jet the 'Lolita Express' and emphasising claims the aircraft 'used sites including RAF Northolt to move young women' (more explicitly accusatory); The i Paper frames the review as a procedural step aimed at ensuring criminal information reaches authorities and notes calls from Gordon Brown; GB News frames the move in procedural terms but also stresses the review will "use flight details for Epstein’s jet supplied by US authorities," citing The Telegraph. Each source is reporting the MoD action but with different emphasis and level of explicit allegation.
Reporting on Epstein flights
Reporting about the underlying flight records differs in scale and sourcing across the outlets.
The i Paper reports "roughly 90 private flights linked to Epstein arrived at or departed UK airports between the early 1990s and 2018, including 15 after his 2008 conviction," a figure GB News echoes when it says Gordon Brown has said the files show about 90 UK flights, including 15 after the 2008 conviction.
By contrast, lbc.co.uk describes reporting based on the "so‑called 'Epstein Files,' including booking records, fuel receipts and flight logs," saying those documents "reportedly show dozens of Epstein flights into and out of Britain before his 2019 death," which frames the scale less precisely and emphasises the documentary basis.
These accounts therefore offer contradictory portrayals of scale—specific counts of about 90 flights cited by The i Paper and GB News versus lbc.co.uk's less precise 'dozens' description—and they differ in emphasis on documentary sourcing.
Coverage Differences
Figures/Scope
The i Paper and GB News use a specific approximate figure (~90 flights, including 15 after a 2008 conviction), while lbc.co.uk uses the vaguer term 'dozens' and links the claim explicitly to the 'Epstein Files' of booking records, fuel receipts and flight logs. This is a difference in reported numeric precision and in the emphasised primary sources.
Alleged UK links to Epstein
The reporting highlights different strands of alleged UK involvement.
The i Paper cites calls from Gordon Brown for police inquiries and points to a Gulfstream flight that reportedly landed at RAF Marham in December 2000.
The i Paper also mentions emails saying Epstein discussed buying Stansted in 2011.
GB News notes that police and Stansted officials are 'reviewing information' after US Department of Justice disclosures.
GB News adds that private flights at Stansted are handled by independent Fixed Base Operators while Border Force carries out immigration checks.
lbc.co.uk focuses on prior media investigations called the 'Epstein Files' and reiterates the MoD's pledge to hand information to authorities and support police probes.
lbc.co.uk emphasises the allegations that aircraft were used to move young women.
Coverage Differences
Attribution & Detail
The i Paper highlights specific alleged incidents and emails (Gulfstream at RAF Marham, Epstein discussing buying Stansted) and quotes Gordon Brown's calls for inquiries; GB News draws attention to official responses from Essex Police and Stansted and operational details like Fixed Base Operators and Border Force; lbc.co.uk foregrounds investigative documents ('Epstein Files') and the allegation that the jet 'used sites including RAF Northolt to move young women.' These differences reflect each source's focus on named incidents, official institutional response, or investigative documentary evidence.
Media coverage of MoD review
All three outlets record the MoD’s stated intention to pass relevant material to civilian authorities and to support police investigations.
They underline remaining uncertainty: none of the pieces asserts that RAF bases were definitively used to traffic victims, and the MoD’s review is presented as an attempt to establish whether that is the case.
GB News emphasises operational steps — using US-supplied flight details and examining military emails and records.
The i Paper stresses the aim to 'ensure that any information which relates to Epstein’s crimes is uncovered and provided to the relevant authorities.'
lbc.co.uk repeats the pledge to hand information to authorities and backs up why the review was prompted by documentary reporting.
At present, each source portrays the matter as under active inquiry rather than resolved.
Coverage Differences
Uncertainty/Next steps
All sources present the MoD review as investigatory and note the MoD will support police work, but they differ in what next steps or evidence they emphasise: GB News highlights the use of US flight details and examination of military records and emails; The i Paper frames the review as intended to ensure criminal evidence is uncovered and provided to authorities; lbc.co.uk ties the review explicitly to prior investigative reporting ('Epstein Files'). Each source therefore stresses slightly different procedural or evidential angles while agreeing the issue remains under investigation.