McSweeney's phone is conveniently 'stolen' in Mandelson case with backups disabled
What a rotten piece of luck, McSweeneys phone that could have had crucial evidence in the Mandelson affair has been, ahem, 'stolen'. Nothing to see here...and if you believe that you are naive.
Morgan McSweeney, the man at the heart of Keir Starmer’s disastrous decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite his known ties to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, has now lost a mobile phone packed with potentially crucial messages.
This is not some minor mishap. It is the latest blow to parliamentary and police probes into one of the most damaging scandals to hit any government in recent memory.
The story begins with Mandelson’s appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the United States in December 2024. Security services and vetting officials had warned Starmer and his inner circle about Mandelson’s longstanding links to Epstein. Files released earlier this month show Starmer was explicitly cautioned that the appointment posed a general reputational risk. His national security adviser even called the process weirdly rushed and unusual.
Mandelson, a close associate of McSweeney, pushed ahead anyway. When the full extent of the Epstein connections emerged in early 2026, Mandelson was sacked, resigned from the Labour Party and the House of Lords, and faced police investigation over allegations he passed sensitive government information, including details of a major Eurozone bailout, to the convicted sex offender and also received moneys in return.
McSweeney, Starmer’s then chief of staff and the driving force behind the appointment, resigned on 8 February 2026. He took full responsibility, admitting the decision was wrong and had damaged the party, the country and trust in politics. Starmer issued a public apology to Epstein’s victims, claiming he had been lied to by Mandelson. Yet critics, including opposition figures, accuse the Prime Minister of knowing far more than he admits and of misleading Parliament.
Phone stolen and backups disabled
Now comes the latest twist. A mobile phone used by McSweeney during the period of Mandelson’s appointment was stolen last year and reported to the police. It contained direct text messages between McSweeney and Mandelson. These messages are central to the ongoing parliamentary inquiry and Met Police investigation into misconduct in public office.
Downing Street admits the device cannot be recovered, which I would also confidently assume means that backups were disabled, which is utterly unbelievable considering they mostly use iPhones and you get 5GB free on iCloud, one of the most secure backup solutions on the planet, ironically what the government are trying to get back door access to at the moment but can’t.
This lost data has created gaps in the Mandelson files that Parliament ordered released. Some communications have been found elsewhere, but the phone’s data is gone for good.
Government either use encrypted enterprise servers they control for backups, secure private clouds or in very restricted circumstances built in iCloud backups. So which one was it and why was it DISABLED? Another bloody government coverup in progress.
In the UK government context, device losses are far from rare. Official reports show thousands of mobiles, laptops, and tablets reported lost or stolen across departments each year, with encryption mandated to protect data. So with this many devices lost or stolen, you cannot again tell me that backups were not in place. I smell something very unsavoury…
A pattern of deceit and underhand behaviour by Labour
This is not an isolated incident. It follows a pattern under this government where key evidence conveniently disappears just when it is needed most. Shadow ministers have already described the episode as smelling of yet another cover-up. How can the public have confidence in an inquiry when the very messages that could reveal who knew what, and when, are missing?
Starmer stands accused of lying or at best showing catastrophic judgment. He ignored clear warnings from security services. He allowed a man with documented Epstein links into one of Britain’s most sensitive diplomatic roles. And now, with crucial texts lost, the full truth may never emerge. Labour backbenchers and even some of their own MPs have called for heads to roll, yet Starmer clings on while the public watches yet another establishment scandal unfold with disappearing evidence.
The challenges are clear:
Repeated failure to heed national security warnings on high-level appointments.
A culture where personal loyalty trumps proper vetting.
A worrying trend of “lost” phones and messages in major investigations, eroding trust in Westminster.
Large Mandelson payout despite evidence of corruption and lying
Restore Britain offers the only genuine alternative
This seedy saga exposes everything wrong with the current political class. Weak vetting, ignored intelligence, and convenient losses of evidence that protect the powerful. Keir Starmer’s government has shown it cannot be trusted to investigate itself.
Restore Britain stands for the opposite. Their commitment to full transparency, including publishing unredacted Epstein files on all British politicians and business figures linked to the scandal, would cut through the secrecy and lies. Proper oversight of security vetting, rigorous accountability for public appointments, and a determination to expose the truth would prevent future disasters like this.
Only by backing Restore Britain and their policies can Britain end the cover-ups, restore integrity to government, and ensure those in power are held to account, no matter how inconvenient the messages on their phones might be. The public deserves better than disappearing phones and half-truths. Restore Britain would deliver it.