Police Arrest Man Over Sale of Morgan McSweeney's Stolen Government Phone

Metropolitan Police have arrested a man in connection with the sale of a mobile phone belonging to Morgan McSweeney, who served as the prime minister's chief of staff.

Arrest in Peckham

Officers investigating the theft of a government mobile phone from Pimlico, London, in October 2025, apprehended a 28-year-old man on 29 April at an address in Peckham. He was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods, taken into police custody, and subsequently bailed. Police state he is suspected of receiving the phone after its initial theft and selling it on, rather than involvement in the original theft. The phone remains unrecovered.

The theft of McSweeney's device became public earlier this year, coinciding with government documents concerning Lord Mandelson's controversial appointment as UK ambassador to the US. McSweeney, a known ally, had advised the prime minister on this selection, a decision he has since publicly described as a misjudgement given Lord Mandelson's enduring connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The missing phone is presumed to contain communications that could shed further light on the circumstances surrounding this diplomatic posting.