Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, had his government phone stolen on October 20, 2024, in an incident now under renewed police scrutiny after it emerged the device may have contained messages related to the controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador. McSweeney resigned as chief of staff in February 2025 over his role in Mandelson's appointment, according to multiple reports.
The Metropolitan Police initially recorded the wrong address for the theft, placing it in Tower Hamlets instead of Westminster, and closed the investigation due to the error and lack of realistic lines of inquiry, the force said. Officers are now revisiting the case and reviewing CCTV from the correct location, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. The police examined evidence from the wrong address, mistaking Belgrave Road in Pimlico for Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets, according to the force.
McSweeney did not tell police he was the prime minister's chief of staff during the 999 call, according to multiple reports. The phone was taken on October 20 last year as McSweeney returned home from a restaurant in Pimlico, research by two sources indicates. A transcript of the 999 call shows McSweeney called at around 10:30pm to report the theft, according to the same sources. McSweeney himself gave the wrong address when reporting the theft, saying 'Belgrave Street in Westminster', research shows.
The phone was not backed up, leading to potential loss of correspondence, according to multiple reports. However, the Cabinet Office holds some messages between McSweeney and Mandelson, the BBC reported, citing sources.
Fewer than 1% of mobile phone thefts result in a charge, according to police data obtained via a freedom of information request.
The prime minister was warned the appointment of Lord Mandelson as US ambassador posed a 'reputational risk,' according to research by two sources. A due diligence document sent to the PM on December 11, 2024, raised issues about Mandelson's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the same sources indicate. The initial batch of documents released does not include follow-up questions sent to Lord Mandelson, research shows.
Downing Street denied claims of a 'cover-up' in the release of documents relating to the appointment, a spokesperson said. Lord Mandelson was sacked in September after new information about his relationship with Epstein emerged, according to research.
Several unknowns persist. The specific sensitive messages that may have been on McSweeney's phone have not been disclosed. It remains unclear why McSweeney did not disclose his role or the phone's sensitivity to police during the 999 call. The address error could be a genuine mistake or indicative of a cover-up, though no evidence of the latter has emerged. The full timeline of the Mandelson appointment and the phone theft is still being pieced together. Whether the reopened investigation will yield any results is uncertain, given the low charge rate for phone thefts and the time elapsed since the incident.