Keir Starmer has dismissed allegations that his former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, fabricated the theft of a government phone to avoid disclosing messages linked to Peter Mandelson.
The device was reported stolen on October 20 last year after McSweeney contacted the Metropolitan Police, claiming his iPhone had been snatched from his hand in Westminster.
A transcript released by the Met shows McSweeney did not identify his role or explain the sensitivity of the phone’s contents during the call. He also provided an incorrect street name when describing where the incident occurred.
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The disappearance of the phone has meant any possible communications between McSweeney and former US ambassador Mandelson cannot be accessed.
Labour MP Karl Turner cast doubt on the account, writing on X on Wednesday: “I don’t believe McSwindle had his iPhone stolen.”
Speaking to Sky News, Starmer rejected suggestions that the incident formed part of a cover-up. He said: “Well the phone was stolen. It was reported to the police.”
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The prime minister pointed to official records of the report, adding: “There’s a transcript of the call in which Morgan McSweeney gives his name, his date of birth, the details of the phone and the police confirm that it was reported.
“Unfortunately, there are thefts like this. It was stolen. It was reported at the time and the police have acknowledged and confirmed that that is what happened.”
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He also dismissed the idea that the incident had been staged in anticipation of future scrutiny, saying: “The idea that somehow everybody could have seen that sometime in the future there would be a request for the phone is, to my mind, a little bit far-fetched.”
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