Police Reopen Investigation Into Stolen Phone of Former Chief of Staff
The Metropolitan Police have announced they are revisiting a previously closed investigation into the theft of Morgan McSweeney's phone after acknowledging a critical error in their initial report. The force admitted they recorded the wrong address when McSweeney, who served as Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff until his resignation in February, reported the crime last October.
Theft Incident and Initial Police Response
According to reports from The Times, McSweeney informed police that his phone was stolen in central London on October 20th last year while he was returning home from a restaurant. The incident allegedly involved a man wearing a balaclava on an electric bike who snatched the device from McSweeney's hand as he was responding to text messages. Despite giving chase, McSweeney was unable to keep up with the thief.
Initially, the Metropolitan Police told McSweeney they were "too busy" to investigate the theft directly. He was simply given a crime reference number and the case was closed without further action. The force claimed a review of available evidence, including potential CCTV footage, did not identify any realistic lines of inquiry.
Address Error Discovery and Investigation Reassessment
The situation changed dramatically on Tuesday evening when police revealed that during their response to a media inquiry, they discovered the address had been entered incorrectly in their initial records. Instead of Belgrave Street in E1, the incident should have been recorded as occurring on Belgrave Road in Pimlico, Westminster.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson stated: "Having identified this error, the report will be amended and the assessment of whether there is available evidence revisited." This admission means the investigation will now be reassessed with the correct location information, potentially opening new avenues for evidence collection.
Sensitive Content and Political Implications
The stolen phone is believed to contain sensitive WhatsApp messages related to Peter Mandelson's controversial appointment as British ambassador to the United States. These messages are expected to be included in the upcoming release of the Mandelson files, which were forced by a parliamentary motion passed by the Conservatives after Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial role in September.
Mandelson, a former Labour peer, was arrested in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office after emails from the U.S. Department of Justice's Epstein files appeared to show he forwarded confidential information to Jeffrey Epstein while serving as business secretary in Gordon Brown's government. He has since been released from bail conditions while remaining under investigation and denies any wrongdoing.
The impending release of thousands of documents in the second tranche of Mandelson files after Easter is expected to include informal communications alongside formal messages. This has created significant political tension, with sources suggesting Prime Minister Starmer may face further resignations over the contents of these communications.
Broader Investigation Context
All senior ministers, civil servants, and special advisers have been asked to submit their phone messages for examination as part of the broader investigation. This includes individuals no longer in government such as McSweeney, former communications director Matthew Doyle, and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner.
However, the theft of McSweeney's work phone presents a significant obstacle, as his WhatsApp messages and texts to Mandelson cannot be examined by investigators. McSweeney reported the theft to Number 10 immediately after the incident, and the device was shut off remotely. He received a replacement phone with the same number the following day.
The Metropolitan Police's decision to reassess the investigation comes amid growing scrutiny of their initial handling of the case and raises questions about whether crucial evidence might have been overlooked due to the address recording error.
