A man has been arrested on suspicion of selling the Prime Minister's former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney's stolen phone.
Mr McSweeney phoned 999 to report that the device had been stolen in the City of Westminster on October 20 last year.
At the time, he told officers that it was a 'government device' but did not inform them he was Sir Keir Starmer's chief of staff.
He was given a crime reference number and the case was later closed - but it was later reopened after the theft became public knowledge.
The crime made national headlines as it is feared the majority of messages between Mr McSweeney and Peter Mandelson will not be recoverable, and therefore will not be part of the government's disclosure on his appointment as US ambassador.
On Wednesday, officers from the Met Police arrested a 28-year-old man in Peckham, southeast London, on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
The man, who is not suspected of having been involved in the original theft, has since been bailed. The phone has still not been recovered.
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: 'Officers investigating the theft of a mobile phone in Belgrave Road, Pimlico, on October 20 2025 have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
Morgan McSweeney phoned 999 to report that the device had been stolen in Westminster on October 20 last year
Keir Starmer with Morgan McSweeney (left) in Downing Street last year
'The arrest took place on Wednesday April 29 at an address in Peckham. The man was taken into police custody and later bailed.
'He is suspected of receiving the phone after it was stolen and then selling it on. He is not suspected of any involvement in the original theft.
'The phone has not been recovered.'
Mr McSweeney phoned police from his personal phone to report the theft of his work device on Belgrave Road in Pimlico.
He said at the time he had given chase to the thief, but was unable to keep up as they were riding a bicycle. He then retraced his steps and phoned 999.
But miscommunication meant that the location of the crime was recorded as a similar street address five miles away in east London.
Pushing back at criticism over the case, the Met took the unusual step of publishing the full transcript of the conversation as it reopened the investigation.
Officers reviewed extensive CCTV footage from the area and were reportedly preparing to interview No10 officials about the incident.
After the theft was reported, the government said the phone was remotely shut off and Mr McSweeney was provided with a replacement.
The transcript of Mr McSweeney's report revealed he said: 'Someone just robbed my phone. He's on a bike. He's come onto the pavement to grab my phone and cycled off on a bike.'
When asked where it took place, the former aide to Sir Keir gave the street name as 'Belgrave Street in Westminster'. The street was actually called Belgrave Road, and the crime was inaccurately logged as having taken place in Belgrave Street in east London, not Westminster.
Officers would not be deployed to the scene of the theft due to 'extreme demand', the call handler said.
Appearing in front of parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on April 28 in relation to the appointment of Peter Mandelson, Mr McSweeney was asked about the theft.
He said he reported it to No10 as soon as it happened, and he 'thought at the time that they would be able to track' the phone.
'I then called 999. If No10 had told me you need to tell the police or you need to tell the call handler what your job is, I would have done so. But otherwise, I didn't do that as a matter of course. I didn't in any part of my job go around saying 'I'm a very serious and senior person'. If No10 had asked me to do it, I would have done that.'
He later made 'further calls to No10', and said he was 'quite surprised by how limited the security is around the chief of staff's telephone'.
Mr McSweeney left Downing Street in February, saying he took 'full responsibility' for failures in the appointment of Peter Mandelson, who was later fired as US ambassador due to his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Morgan McSweeney's 999 call at 10.30pm on October 20, 2025
Call handler: Police, what's your emergency?
Morgan McSweeney: Oh, hello, someone just robbed my phone.
Call handler: Did they actually take it from you just now?
McSweeney: Yeah
Call handler: How did they get away?
McSweeney: So he's on a bike. He's come onto the pavement to grab my phone and cycled off on a bike.
Call handler: And where did this happen?
McSweeney: It happened in Belgrave Street* in Westminster.
*We now know that the incident took place in Belgrave Road, Westminster. The call handler inputs Belgrave Street and it provides a matching road name in Tower Hamlets, which is what is recorded in error. There are further references to locations near Belgrave Street in Tower Hamlets later in the call, which compounds the issue.
Call handler: And whose phone are you using now?
McSweeney: I've got two phones. I'm using my personal one. That was my work one.
Call handler: Can I take the phone number for this phone you're calling on?
McSweeney: Yeah, 07XXXXXXXXX.
Call handler: Thank you. And you said Belgrave Street, yeah?
McSweeney: Yeah, just kind of going back to the location.
Call handler: Don't put yourself at any risk. It's not worth it over a phone. I appreciate it's frustrating.
And which way did they go towards, this suspect on a bike?
McSweeney: He went. He travels north. I saw him for a few blocks.
Call handler: So where were you when you last saw him? Have you got any idea?
McSweeney: Yeah, so.
Call handler: Did you get up to Stepney?
McSweeney: Let me tell you where I got to. I'm just going back to where I can.
So he turned right. Sorry, he turned left. There's a park on top of the road and he turned left there.
Call handler: Stepney Green Park, ok.
McSweeney: Yeah. He turned left there.
Call handler: Can you remember anything about his appearance?
McSweeney: Yeah, he was young. He was a black guy. He was on a bike.
Call handler: About how young? Just a guess.
McSweeney: Teens. Late teens.
Call handler: Was he skinny, tall, any idea?
McSweeney: Yeah. He was slim. He was about average height.
Call handler: Was it an e-bike or pedal bike?
McSweeney: Pedal bike.
Call handler: Have you got a tracker on the phone at all?
McSweeney: I do. It's a government phone.
Call handler: And it's your work phone. What kind of phone is it?
McSweeney: It's an iPhone.
Call handler: Do you know what model?
Morgan McSweeney: I don't
[PAUSE]
Call handler: Right, just bear with me a second.
We would normally deploy to see you but at the moment, we are having extreme demand on police officers. So, I don't know if you would prefer to make your way home and make a crime report over the phone or online tomorrow. I mean, I can complete one with you now. I can pass this down, you can wait, but I honestly do not know how long you'll be waiting.
McSweeney: If I could complete it now that would be good.
Call handler: Ok. What's your name, please?
McSweeney: My name is XXXXXXXXXX.
Call handler: XXXXXXXXXX? (repeats name back)
McSweeney: Yeah.
Call handler: And your date of birth, please?
McSweeney: It's XXXXXX
Call handler: Is XXXXXXXXX (surname) all one word?
McSweeney: Yeah, (spells surname).
Call handler: And what's your home address?
McSweeney: (Provides non-London address)
Call handler: So you live in XXXXXX?
McSweeney: Yeah.
Call handler: Are you staying anywhere while you're in London?
McSweeney: Yeah.
Call handler: Sorry, it just takes a little bit longer to deal with an address outside of the Met. I do apologise.
McSweeney: It's ok.
Call handler: And may I take an email for you please (name)?
McSweeney: Yeah, it's XXXXXXXXXXX@XXXXXXXXXX.com (personal email address)
Call handler: You'll get a copy of the preliminary crime report through to that email.
How would you like to be contacted by an investigating officer? By email or phone?
McSweeney: Phone, please. Or either, I'm not fussed.
Call handler: Have you got any finance apps on the phone?
McSweeney: No.
Call handler: You'll need to change any passwords for any logins you do have on the phone.
McSweeney: Yeah, ok.
Call handler: You're not vulnerable in any way. Are you?
McSweeney: No I'm not.
Call handler: Do you believe there was any CCTV near where the incident happened?
McSweeney: Might be. [Inaudible] away from location.
Call handler: Don't worry. Don't return. No, I'll just put at the moment unknown. And obviously, if we find out more, we find out more.
Are you willing to make a statement to support the investigation?
McSweeney: Definitely
Call handler: So what time did he actually snatch the phone?
McSweeney: About two minutes before I rung you and I chased, and then I rang my office to get the phone tracked and then I rang you.
Call handler: Ok, cool. It would have been about 25 past that you were robbed.
McSweeney: A little before, about 23 minutes past, I think.
Call handler: 23? Little bit before? Ok.
[PAUSE]
Just bear with me, I'm just trying to get this system to accept the address. Sorry about this. I won't keep you much longer.
If you do get any tracking updates, what you do is you give us a call back if the phone is stationary.
McSweeney: Yeah.
Call handler: And we can review attending then. We can't guarantee attending a moving phone at all, but if it's been stationary for a few...
It's not accepting your address.
McSweeney: I can give you my London address?
Call handler: It's alright. I've nearly got this to work.
McSweeney: Ok
Call handler: How long you staying in London?
McSweeney: So I come to London every week. I work in London.
Call handler: Oh, I see. Ok, that makes sense.
McSweeney: So I'll be here till Thursday.
Call handler: Ok.
[PAUSE]
As I was trying to say, I've got this sorted now, so I'll be texting you a crime reference number in the next few moments. Along with the crime reference number will be a CHS reference number. If you need to give us a call back, you can call back giving that reference number from any device, and then we'll be able to link it straight away to your crime report and review deploying. We will need to know a bit more details about the phone itself, so when you're contacted by the investigating officer, or if you do get tracking details, you can call us back with the IMEI number, and the type of phone that it is that would be super helpful.
McSweeney: All right, thank you.
Call handler: All right, I'm just about to text you through the crime reference number now.
McSweeney: Thank you so much. You've been really helpful.
Call handler: No worries. All right, (name). You take care now, ok? Bye.
McSweeney: Bye bye.