A man has been arrested in south London over the theft of a phone that belonged to Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney.
The incident last October drew attention earlier this year when the government promised to publish all messages from ministers and officials relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US.
Many of the Whatsapp messages from McSweeney – a key figure in that decision – will not be included in the release due to the loss of the device.
A 28-year-old has now been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, though the phone itself has not been located.
McSweeney, then working as Starmer’s top advisor, called 999 after the official phone was snatched by a man riding a bicycle on a road in Pimlico.
Confusion on the call led to police recording the wrong address for the crime, and the case was closed after McSweeney was given a reference number.
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The investigation was later reopened after the Sun on Sunday revealed details of the incident, with the Met also taking the unusual step of releasing a transcript of the 999 call.
Speaking to the Foreign Affairs Committee last month, McSweeney said he had tried to chase the thief before calling No 10, adding he ‘would have gone with whatever they told [him] to do’.
Asked why he didn’t disclose his top role on Downing Street while speaking to the 999 operator, he said: ‘If No 10 had told me you need to tell the police or you need to tell the call handler what your job is, I would have done so.
‘But otherwise, I didn’t do that as a matter of course. I didn’t in any part of my job go around saying, “I’m a very serious and senior person.”‘
A spokesperson for the Met said: ‘Officers investigating the theft of a mobile phone in Belgrave Road, Pimlico on 20 October 2025 have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
‘The arrest took place on Wednesday, 29 April at an address in Peckham. The man was taken into police custody and later bailed.
‘He is suspected of receiving the phone after it was stolen and then selling it on. He is not suspected of any involvement in the original theft.
‘The phone has not been recovered.’
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