A man has been arrested in south London on suspicion of attempting to sell a stolen mobile phone belonging to Morgan McSweeney.
The Prime Minister’s then chief of staff called police on October 20, 2025 to report his government-issued device being snatched by a thief on a bicycle.
But officers recorded the wrong address for the crime after Mr McSweeney wrongly gave his location as Belgrave Street in east London rather than Belgrave Road in Westminster.
The loss of Mr McSweeney’s phone meant that some messages relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador could not be placed in the public domain.
The former No 10 aide was was given a crime reference number and the theft case was closed.
However, the Met reopened its investigation after details of the incident were disclosed by The Sun on Sunday.
A 28-year-old man was on Wednesday arrested in Peckham on suspicion of attempting to sell Mr McSweeney’s stolen phone, the Times reported.
The device has not been recovered.
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said: “Officers investigating the theft of a mobile phone in Belgrave Road, Pimlico on 20th October 2025 have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of handling stolen goods.
“The arrest took place on Wednesday, 29th April 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.”
