Political storm over stolen phone as Mandelson-linked messages disappear and police were not alerted
Sir Keir Starmer has said it is "a little bit far-fetched" to suggest the theft of his former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney’s phone was in any way linked to the release of files on Lord Peter Mandelson.
There are concerns exchanges relating to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as British ambassador to the US could be lost as a result of the snatching of the mobile phone in London in October 2025.
The messages were ordered to be handed over to Parliament and released after Mandelson was sacked over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking to broadcasters in Helsinki, the Prime Minister insisted the phone had been stolen and brushed off suggestions the claim was an attempt to obfuscate.
He said: "The phone was stolen. It was reported to the police. There’s a transcript of the call in which Morgan McSweeney gives his name, his date of birth, the details of the phone, and the police confirm that it was reported.
"Unfortunately, there are thefts like this. It was stolen. It was reported at the time, the police have acknowledged and confirmed that. That is what happened."
He added: "The idea that somehow everybody could have seen that sometime in the future there’d be a request over the phone is, to my mind, a little bit far-fetched."
This comes as it emerged Downing Street never contacted the Metropolitan Police regarding the stolen mobile phone.
According to the Telegraph, the former Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister’s phone was never brought up with the Met after it was allegedly stolen on October 20.
The theft has become the subject of political intrigue after messages between Mr McSweeney and former Ambassador to the US, Lord Mandelson, were reportedly lost with the device.
The messages were ordered to be handed over to Parliament and released after Mandelson was sacked over his ties to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The latest revelations come after it was reported that Mr McSweeney did not disclose his occupation to police, leaving them apparently unaware that the Government-issued mobile could contain sensitive material.
Scotland Yard took the unusual step of releasing the 999 call transcript from October 20 as it deflects criticism over how it handled the theft of Mr McSweeney’s phone.
The Metropolitan Police, which wrongly recorded the theft as having taken place in east London rather than Westminster, stressed officers and staff did not know the caller’s job or the sensitivity of the material that would have been saved on his phone at the time.
In the course of the call, McSweeney, who resigned from government earlier this year, gave his name, a personal email address and a home address outside London, and he says the device is a Government phone and that he has called his office to get it tracked.
McSweeney’s 999 call
“Call handler: Have you got a tracker on the phone at all?
“Caller: I do. It’s a Government phone.”
Later, the document says: “Call handler: So what time did he actually snatch the phone?
“Caller: About two minutes before I rung you and I chased, and then I rang my office to get the phone tracked and then I rang you.”
Concerns have been raised over the fact that the phone of the Prime Minister’s then-top aide was not backed up, leading to the loss of the correspondence.
It is unclear what efforts No 10 made to retrieve the phone, and Sir Keir’s spokesman refused to comment on confidential “security arrangements”, adding that “long-established and robust processes to manage information security” after the theft of a Government work device were deployed.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman set out Government guidance for the recording of communications on non-corporate communications channels, including WhatsApp, but declined to say whether Mr McSweeney complied with it.
The official told reporters: “Messages only need to be kept where they relate to substantive discussions or decisions that form part of the official record.
“Significant Government information exchanged via these channels must be captured into Government systems by copying, forwarding, screenshotting or recording its substance.”
Asked whether Mr McSweeney followed the rules, the spokesman would only say that “individuals … are responsible for deciding how the rules apply to each communication using their professional judgment and considering the context”.
The spokesman said the guidance is kept “under constant review”.
The Cabinet Office does have some of the messages between Mr McSweeney and Lord Mandelson, it is understood.
Lord Mandelson, a political appointment rather than a career diplomat, was sacked from his Washington role in September last year over his links with Epstein, who died in 2019.
The first tranche of documents related to the peer’s appointment was published earlier this month, with more to follow.
Deputy Editor
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