The newly released files on the late U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein have sparked scrutiny across the Atlantic, prompting the resignation of several political figures over their ties to the convicted sex offender.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Director of Communications Tim Allan said in a brief statement on Monday that he has decided to resign to allow a new No.10 team to be built.
Allan took up the post of director of communications in September 2025 and served in the role for five months.
Another senior official, Morgan McSweeney, resigned on Sunday from his post as Starmer's chief of staff following controversy over the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States. Starmer has asked his deputy chiefs of staff, Jill Cuthbertson and Vidhya Alakeson, to serve as acting chiefs of staff.
Mandelson, 72, was appointed ambassador to Washington in early 2025. Starmer later dismissed him after just seven months in the post amid fallout from an earlier release of Epstein-related files.
The Norwegian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that Mona Juul has stepped down as Norway's ambassador to Jordan, also accredited to Iraq, after revelations about her contact with Epstein.
Juul had previously been relieved of her duties while the ministry reviewed her knowledge of and contact with Epstein. The ministry said its internal fact-finding will continue even after Juul's resignation, with particular attention to the rules that apply to state employees and officials both in and outside service.
President of the World Economic Forum and former Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende and former Norwegian Prime Minister Thorbjorn Jagland were also involved in the case.
Norway's national authority for investigating and prosecuting economic and environmental crime (Okokrim) said on Thursday it has opened an investigation into Jagland on suspicion of aggravated corruption, citing information contained in newly released Epstein files.
Former French Culture Minister Jack Lang has offered to step down as president of the Arab World Institute, a Paris-based cultural and academic institution, amid controversy linked to newly released documents related to the Epstein case, French media reported on Saturday.
France's national financial prosecutor's office opened a preliminary investigation on Friday into Lang and his daughter on suspicion of aggravated tax fraud and money laundering.
On Jan 30, the U.S. Department of Justice said it had published millions of additional pages in compliance with the "Epstein Files Transparency Act", taking the total disclosure to nearly 3.5 million pages, alongside thousands of videos and images. The massive release has intensified scrutiny of Epstein's connections and renewed political pressure in multiple countries.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Sunday that the files have revealed what he called the "pure satanism" of Western elites and exposed the West's true nature.
Newly released Epstein files fuel political fallout in multiple countries
