Ine Eriksen Søreide, the newly appointed leader of Norway's Conservative Party (Høyre), has rejected claims that she is distancing herself from former ambassador Mona Juul beyond what the facts warrant. Speaking to NRK, Søreide clarified her past actions, stating, "I wanted to declare myself ineligible as a precautionary measure in 2018—just to be certain I was operating within the proper boundaries." Her remarks come amid renewed scrutiny over her prior professional relationship with Juul.
Søreide begins her leadership role under immediate pressure, facing a parliamentary oversight hearing at the Storting related to how a whistleblower report was handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2019, during her tenure as foreign minister. She emphasized that she never received gifts from Juul, aside from the previously disclosed short-term loan of an apartment—a detail already known to the public.
When directly asked whether she intends to distance herself further from Juul, Søreide responded plainly: "We’ve had little contact in recent years. I don’t see anything changing that—we’ll continue to have minimal contact." The statement underscores a personal boundary without suggesting any formal or political separation beyond existing circumstances.