Man arrested over handling of Morgan McSweeney's stolen phone

Police have arrested a 28-year-old man in Peckham on suspicion of handling the stolen phone of Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff to the prime minister.

The Metropolitan Police said the arrest was made on Wednesday, 29 April, at an address in south London.

Officers said the man is suspected of receiving the phone after it was stolen and then selling it on.

Police said he is not suspected of involvement in the original theft.

The phone has not been recovered.

The device was taken in Pimlico, London, in October 2025.

It was a government-issued iPhone and was reported stolen shortly before 22:30 on 20 October last year.

The case has drawn attention because of concerns that messages on the phone could be relevant to Peter Mandelson's appointment as ambassador to the US.

The theft came to wider notice earlier this year as documents about that appointment were being published.

McSweeney was working as the prime minister's chief of staff at the time of the theft.

Police later said the phone had been reported with an incorrect location, which led to confusion over where the incident had happened.

In March, police took the unusual step of releasing a transcript of the emergency call made when the theft was reported.

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