Epstein-Mandelson affair: in the United Kingdom, questions surrounding the theft of the phone of Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff

The British government on Wednesday denied any “plot” over the theft of a phone belonging to Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff and likely to contain information relating to former ambassador Peter Mandelson, involved in the Epstein affair.

Under pressure from MPs, the Labor government undertook in February to disclose documents linked to the appointment at the end of 2024 of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington, and his dismissal in September 2025, due to his past links with sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein.

However, the Prime Minister’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, who pushed to appoint Peter Mandelson, had his phone stolen in the street in October 2025, raising questions about the government’s ability to reveal all relevant messages on the affair. Morgan McSweeney resigned in February, saying he took “full responsibility” for advising Keir Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson to Washington.

The latter was fired after only seven months in office, after the publication of information testifying to his closeness to the American financier who died in prison in 2019.

“A very opportune moment,” says the opposition

After the publication of documents at the end of January by the American Department of Justice, the police opened an investigation in February into suspicions of professional misconduct, Peter Mandelson being suspected of having transmitted to Epstein information likely to influence the markets, notably when he was a minister in the government of Gordon Brown, from 2008 to 2010.

Conservative opposition leader Kemi Badenoch’s spokesperson said Wednesday that the theft of McSweeney’s phone in London, a month after Peter Mandelson’s dismissal, came at “a very opportune time.” But Downing Street denied any attempt to cover up the matter. The phone was stolen “several months before the motion was adopted” allowing the disclosure of the documents, said Keir Starmer’s spokesperson.

London police on Wednesday, in an unusual move, released the transcript of the call made by Morgan McSweeney to report the theft of his phone. He did not inform the operator that he worked for Downing Street, but said the stolen device was a “government phone”.

The first set of documents relating to the ex-ambassador’s appointment were published on March 11, and show that the Prime Minister had been warned of the “risk” posed by Peter Mandelson’s links to Jeffrey Epstein before appointing him. A second series is due to be released on April 13.