A man, aged 28, has been apprehended for allegedly selling a phone that belonged to Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff at Downing Street. Scotland Yard detained the individual last Wednesday, and he was subsequently released on bail. Authorities clarified that he is not suspected of being involved in the initial theft that occurred on October 20 last year.

The disappearance of McSweeney’s phone raised concerns about the potential loss of important messages related to Lord Peter Mandelson’s contentious appointment as the US ambassador. In February, members of parliament pushed for the Government to disclose numerous files amidst uncertainties about the extent of the peer’s connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein before assuming the diplomatic role in Washington.

Following the release of an initial set of files earlier this year, it was revealed that the Prime Minister had been cautioned about the risks associated with appointing Lord Mandelson. National security adviser Jonathan Powell criticized the appointment as “strangely hurried.”

In a separate incident earlier this year, a recording of a 999 call exposed that McSweeney did not mention his position as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff when reporting the theft of his phone. He notified emergency services on October 20 last year, stating that a “government device” had been taken. Despite pursuing the thief briefly, who was on a bicycle, the culprit managed to escape. Police mistakenly noted a different location for the crime, assuming it occurred on a similarly named street five miles away.

In an uncommon move, the Metropolitan Police publicly disclosed the call log in March in response to allegations that they were neglecting the investigation due to being “too busy.” The call log indicated that McSweeney referred to the stolen phone as a government device but did not elaborate on his role in Downing Street or the sensitivity of the information on his phone.

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police mentioned, “Officers have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of handling stolen goods related to the theft of a mobile phone in Belgrave Road, Pimlico, on October 20, 2025. The arrest occurred on Wednesday, April 29, in Peckham. The individual was taken into custody and later released on bail.”

The spokesperson added, “He is suspected of possessing and selling the stolen phone but is not believed to have been part of the original theft. The phone has not yet been recovered.”