PM Rejects Claims McSweeney Faked Phone Theft
The prime minister has described as "a little bit far-fetched" the notion that his former chief-of-staff Morgan McSweeney could have fabricated the theft of his phone.
The alleged theft, which occurred in October last year, raises concerns that messages related to Lord Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to the US might be lost. These messages were expected to be part of the forthcoming disclosure of all communications connected to that decision.
McSweeney had advocated for Lord Mandelson's appointment despite reservations about Mandelson's association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Political Reactions and Police Transparency
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has suggested the theft was used as an "excuse," while Labour MP Karl Turner expressed disbelief that the phone was stolen.
On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police took the unusual step of releasing the full transcript of McSweeney's call made on 20 October last year, in which he reported that a young man on a bicycle snatched his work phone from his hand as he walked down the street.
PM's Comments from Finland Security Summit
Speaking to journalists in Finland, where he was attending a security summit, Sir Keir Starmer dismissed speculation that McSweeney's account was false or that the government was involved in a cover-up.
"Unfortunately there are thefts like this. It was stolen. It was reported at the time, the police have acknowledged and confirmed that. That is what happened."
"The idea that somehow everybody could have seen that some time in the future there'd be a request for the phone is, to my mind, a little bit far-fetched."
PMQs and Further Political Criticism
During Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs) on Wednesday, Badenoch remarked:
"I wonder what a director of public prosecutions would make of the defence, 'sorry, I can't produce my WhatsApps, my phone's been stolen'."
Sir Keir Starmer previously served as the director of public prosecutions before entering politics.
Following PMQs, Badenoch's official spokesman continued to challenge the reported theft, stating:
"From the very outset of the Mandelson affair, the prime minister's first instinct has been to obfuscate and cover up."
While not directly accusing McSweeney of lying about the theft, the spokesman added:
"I think what Kemi would say is, it's very fortunate timing."
Badenoch has called for McSweeney to testify before Parliament regarding the theft, citing "too many unanswered questions." She stated:
"If No 10 are incapable of recovering these messages, it is only right that Morgan McSweeney testifies in Parliament and explains exactly what happened and why Keir Starmer signed off on Peter Mandelson's appointment despite the warnings."
Later the same day, Labour backbencher Karl Turner posted on X:
"I don't believe McSwindle had his iPhone stolen."
Government's Commitment and Document Releases
The government has pledged to comply with parliamentary demands to publish all messages related to Lord Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador, despite concerns over his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
The first batch of internal government documents, revealing that the prime minister was warned about the risks of appointing Lord Mandelson, was released earlier this month.
The second release is expected to include messages from ministers and government aides, raising questions about whether data from McSweeney's stolen phone will be accessible.
The Cabinet Office reportedly holds some messages exchanged between McSweeney and Lord Mandelson.
Security Concerns and Expert Criticism
Former deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara criticised Downing Street for apparently not alerting the police about McSweeney's phone theft as a security risk.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, MacNamara said McSweeney "did the right thing" by promptly informing Downing Street and requesting a wipe of the phone.
However, she questioned the government's response speed, stating:
"There were questions to ask and answer about just how fast the government were in responding to that, because it was their phone, their data, their risk and, in my experience, security steps like this were not fast enough."
She added:
"It's surprising to me that Downing Street didn't then get in touch with the Met to flag that this was a significant thing. Maybe they did, maybe we'll find that out later -- but it's definitely true that, in this day and age in particular, we need to be really careful about government material on phones and take all kinds of precautions, so I would hope that that's what the system did."
MacNamara also urged for a faster release of the second batch of documents related to Mandelson's appointment, to end speculation. She argued that the lack of information fosters "paranoia and suspicion" and leads to people imagining "all sorts of amazing things that he [McSweeney] can do."
"Trust in politics and government does really matter," she said. "It's better to get it out there."
The timeline for this complex series of events continues to unfold.
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