The ongoing repercussions of Jeffrey Epstein's criminal network have claimed two more high-profile political careers this week, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and Norwegian diplomat Mona Juul both resigning over connections to the disgraced financier.
McSweeney stepped down after advising Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as Washington ambassador in early 2025 – a decision reversed when Mandelson's Epstein ties surfaced. The former Labour cabinet minister's brief tenure ended last year amid parliamentary uproar, with McSweeney acknowledging in his resignation letter that the appointment "damaged trust in politics itself."
In Norway, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide confirmed the resignation of Ambassador to Jordan Mona Juul, stating her Epstein connections demonstrated "serious failure of judgment." Juul had been suspended last week pending investigation into her contacts with the convicted sex offender, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on trafficking charges.
The Norwegian foreign ministry is expanding its probe to include grants made to the International Peace Institute during the tenure of Juul's husband Terje Rod-Larsen, described by officials as maintaining "very extensive" and "highly concerning" Epstein links.
This development follows last week's launch of a corruption investigation into former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjørn Jagland, based on evidence from newly released Epstein documents. Over three million pages of materials were disclosed in January 2026 under legislation signed last November, continuing to reshape political landscapes internationally.
