Police to revisit investigation into Morgan McSweeney’s stolen phone after admitting address blunder
Police will reassess the investigation into the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone after officers admitted they recorded the wrong address when they reported the crime.
Sir Keir Starmer’s former private secretary told the Metropolitan Police that his device was seized in central London last October, but police instead recorded the incident in Belgrave Street, Tower Hamlets.
The investigation into the theft will be reopened to assess whether there is further evidence, after concerns grew that messages between her and Lord Peter Mandelson may now be lost.
Cables between ministers and Lord Mandelson will be published to shed light on his appointment as US ambassador despite his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Mr McSweeney, who is said to have pushed for his former Labor colleague to be appointed as US ambassador, resigned as Sir Keir’s private secretary earlier this year over his role in the decision.
The Metropolitan Police confirmed on Tuesday that a man in his forties had reported his phone stolen and they are now investigating the incident following an administrative error.
Police said a previous review of the allegation, including whether CCTV was available, “did not identify any realistic lines of inquiry” and the investigation was closed.
But while responding to a recent media inquiry they discovered the wrong address had been recorded during the initial call to police and should have been stated as Belgrave Road in Westminster.
Police said the error will now be corrected and police will reassess whether there is evidence available.
Health Minister Wes Streeting said on Wednesday that the disappearance of messages due to theft was “a ruse rather than a conspiracy”.
Mr Streeting said Mr McSweeney “could not have known” that these conversations would later be required for scrutiny and told Times Radio: “I can completely understand the sarcasm in these types of cases, but bear in mind that when his phone was stolen it was reported to the police at the time.
“He could not have known at that stage that Parliament would want the unprecedented publication of all messages.
“Yes, in politics, sometimes some things can be explained as a result of a conspiracy. Sometimes, they are revealed as a result of a conspiracy rather than a conspiracy.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “On Monday 20 October police received a report from a man in his 40s who claimed his phone had been stolen.
“The incident was recorded to have occurred on Belgrave Street E1.
“The investigation of the allegation did not identify any realistic line of inquiry, including assessing whether CCTV was available. The investigation was subsequently closed.
“While responding to a recent media inquiry we discovered that the address was entered incorrectly during the initial search and should have been recorded as Belgrave Road, Pimlico instead.
“Once this error is identified, the report will be amended and the assessment of whether there is existing evidence will be reconsidered.”
The loss of the device comes as communications between ministers and Lord Mandelson were planned to be published to shed light on his appointment as US ambassador despite his links to Jeffrey Epstein.
Despite the phone being lost, some messages between Mr McSweeney and Lord Mandelson are understood to be in the Cabinet Office.
A government spokesman previously said: “We are determined to fully comply with our humble address as we continue to support the Metropolitan Police in their investigations.”
But the Conservatives have previously claimed the theft of the phone “reeks of a cover-up”.
Alex Burghart, a leading Conservative figure, said: “We had to get the Mandelson files out of Keir Starmer and now we have learned that the phone of the former chief of staff and Mandelson protégé will not be part of the expose. The whole thing smacks of a cover-up.”
Lord Mandelson was arrested on February 23 on suspicion of abuse of public office, accused of passing sensitive information to Epstein during his time as business secretary.
Sir Keir has repeatedly said he is sorry for believing Lord Mandelson’s “lies” about his link to the sex offender and appointing him to the high-profile post in Washington. The Prime Minister also made a public apology to Epstein’s victims for the decision.
