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Health Secretary Wes Streeting has raised concerns over why the Metropolitan Police did not follow through with an investigation into the theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone. McSweeney, who formerly served as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, resigned last month amid controversy surrounding his involvement in Lord Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s ambassador to the United States. The phone theft, reported in October last year, emerged as a significant issue as the device was believed to contain crucial messages related to Lord Mandelson.
It was confirmed by police that when McSweeney reported the theft, officers incorrectly recorded the incident’s location, resulting in the case being prematurely closed. Streeting expressed skepticism about the police handling but stopped short of suggesting any deliberate wrongdoing by McSweeney himself. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Streeting highlighted that he trusts the phone was indeed stolen but criticized the police’s failure to properly investigate a case involving sensitive government information. He noted that many people might not be surprised by the police’s lack of action, given common experiences with phone theft reports.
The phone was stolen roughly a month after Lord Mandelson was dismissed from his ambassadorial role in Washington, and months before Parliament mandated the release of tens of thousands of documents concerning allegations about Mandelson’s vetting process and his connections to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. These documents, ordered to be revealed through a parliamentary mechanism known as a humble address, could include communications from ministers and aides like McSweeney. Now, questions are being raised about whether any key exchanges once stored on McSweeney’s stolen device will be accessible in the forthcoming disclosures.
The government stated its commitment to comply fully with the humble address while cooperating with the Metropolitan Police investigation. Although there is a standard protocol for handling information security following the theft of government devices, officials have declined to comment further on security specifics. Streeting also emphasized that the theft should have been reported to the Cabinet Office’s permanent secretary, Cat Little, and it appears that some communications between McSweeney and Lord Mandelson are held there. The Metropolitan Police have reopened the case for review after discovering the initial complaint recorded the wrong street address and are currently reassessing all available evidence
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