The government is facing questions after it emerged that the phone of the Prime Minister’s former Chief of Staff was stolen, due to which his messages with sacked US Ambassador Lord Peter Mandelson are likely to be lost.
The theft of government-issued equipment was reported after Mandelson’s firing, but before Parliament forced the government to publish All papers and communications relating to his appointment and time in office.
However, the theft of a device containing so much sensitive information, as well as the fear of losing the messages that Parliament has ordered to be released, has raised many questions, especially after the police admitted that they had recorded the wrong address of the theft.
So what do we know about what happened?
The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that Mr McSweeney’s government-issued iPhone was stolen shortly before 22.30pm on 20 October.
This was a month after Lord Mandelson Dismissed from the post of ambassador to America The release of a trove of emails revealed she had a much closer relationship with deceased pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein than previously thought.
Police have taken the unusual step of releasing a transcript of Mr McSweeney’s emergency call to police reporting the theft, revealing confusion about where exactly it happened.
Although Mr McSweeney said it was on “Belgrave Street in Westminster”, it was incorrectly recorded by the police call handler as Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets.
The explanation for this is that the street in Westminster is actually called Belgrave Road, and when the call handler typed “Belgrave Street” into his system, he recorded the address as East London, which went unnoticed. The force has now restarted the investigation.
Furthermore, although Mr McSweeney said it was a “government call”, he did not say he was the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff, and the Met Police have said this meant the details “could not appropriately shape our decision-making”.
It is worth noting that according to data published by The Guardian, more than 2,000 pieces of government equipment were lost or stolen across all departments in 2024.
However, Mr McSweeney told the call handler that the phone had a tracking system, and told the police call handler that he had called his office before calling 999. Sky News understands that the Number 10 security team was informed.
Furthermore, the Prime Minister’s spokesperson told reporters that “long-established and robust procedures to manage information security following the theft of government work equipment” were deployed.
Why is theft of McSweeney’s phone an issue?
Firstly, he was the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister, hence the most senior political advisor to the Prime Minister. His phone contained the contact details and messages of Sir Keir Starmer, the Cabinet and the most senior British officials.
This is information that foreign intelligence services of adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran would be very interested in obtaining.
But there is controversy because it also included messages exchanged with Lord Mandelson, who was removed as US ambassador just a month before the theft.
The Courtesy Address passed by the Commons specifically orders the release of “electronic communications between the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and Lord Mandelson” because Mr McSweeney is said to have been the chief counsel for his initial appointment – which led to his appointment. Resignation from Downing Street Last month.
It is now feared those messages have been completely lost, although Sky News understands the Cabinet Office has kept some messages between the pair. They have not yet been published, but the government says it is “committed to fully complying with the polite address”.
What great questions are there?
Opposition politicians are raising questions about whether Mr McSweeney has complied with data retention rules, which require senior officials to ensure all vital information is recorded on government systems.
Former Tory cabinet minister Sir James Cleverley wrote on X: “There should have been nothing on McSweeney’s phone about Mandelson’s appointment that was not forwarded to the civil service. Where are the messages?”
Downing Street this afternoon repeatedly refused to say whether Mr McSweeney had followed government guidelines on handling the messages, indicating it was up to him to decide how it applied to exchanges with Lord Mandelson, whose phone is feared lost after the theft.
The official also told reporters: “Established guidance exists for the management and recording of electronic communications on non-corporate communication channels, including WhatsApp.
“Messages should be retained only where they relate to important discussions or decisions that form part of the official record.
“Critical government information exchanged through these channels should be entered into government systems by copying, forwarding, screenshotting or recording its essence.
“This applies regardless of how and where the communication occurs, even across individual devices.”
