Authorities have apprehended an individual in connection with the theft of a mobile phone belonging to Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff for Keir Starmer. The suspect was taken into custody on Wednesday in Peckham, located in south London, as he is believed to have received the stolen device, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police released on Thursday.
The device in question, a government-issued iPhone, was reported stolen shortly before 10:30 PM on October 20 of last year, and has not yet been recovered. There are rising concerns that this incident could lead to the loss of significant communications regarding Peter Mandelson’s recent appointment as the U.S. ambassador.
The scrutiny surrounding McSweeney’s messages with Mandelson intensified following reports that the phone was stolen shortly after Mandelson’s dismissal from his ambassadorial position. In March, it was disclosed that McSweeney did not inform the authorities that he was Starmer’s chief of staff at the time he reported the theft. The Metropolitan Police released a transcript of the emergency call made by McSweeney, a rare step aimed at clarifying earlier inaccuracies in the media coverage of the incident.
Sources from The Guardian indicate that not all of McSweeney’s communications have been lost, as the Cabinet Office retains several text and email exchanges between him and Mandelson.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police stated on Thursday, “Officers are investigating the theft of a mobile phone on Belgrave Road, Pimlico, which occurred on October 20, 2025. A 28-year-old man was arrested on Wednesday, April 29, on suspicion of handling stolen goods. He was detained at a residence in Peckham, taken into custody, and subsequently released on bail. The suspect is believed to have received the stolen phone and sold it, but he is not implicated in the initial theft. The phone remains unrecovered.”
McSweeney, who departed from his role at No. 10 in February, informed the police that the device was a government-issued phone just minutes after the theft occurred. He mentioned that the iPhone was equipped with a tracking feature, as per the emergency call transcript. However, he did not elaborate on the sensitive nature of the phone’s information, according to the records of the call.
