Lord Mandelson is under pressure to hand over messages from his personal mobile phone amid concerns key correspondence relating to his appointment as UK ambassador to the United States may have been lost.The Cabinet Office is preparing to publish thousands of documents connected to the disgraced peer's time in the Washington role, but officials have so far only had access to his work phone.Government sources confirmed Lord Mandelson and all individuals with relevant messages would be asked to hand over communications made on personal devices.They added the move was not connected to the theft of Morgan McSweeney's personal device, which has become a source of considerable controversy. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Mr McSweeney, Sir Keir Starmer's then-chief of staff, had his work phone snatched by a cyclist in October last year, a month after Lord Mandelson was removed from post.In scenes reminiscent of the Coleen Rooney vs Rebekah Vardy Wagatha Christie trial – where a phone containing potentially vital evidence was lost to the sea – Mr McSweeney's stolen device was never backed up, leaving serious questions over whether key messages between him and the disgraced peer have vanished permanently.Opposition politicians believe the messages could reveal the true nature of the pair's communications and whether Lord Mandelson influenced decision-making within the Labour government.Mr McSweeney and Lord Mandelson had been close political allies for years and the former chief of staff resigned from Downing Street in February, widely seen as taking responsibility for pushing the ambassador's appointment.The Prime Minister dismissed suggestions of a connection between the missing phone and the document release as a little bit far-fetched.His comments came after the Metropolitan Police took the unusual step of releasing the full transcript of the 999 call Mr McSweeney made to report the theft, in which he provided his name, date of birth and details of the handset.Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has not been satisfied by the explanation, speaking to The Telegraph, she said: There's something fishy going on.She said: Keir Starmer can't, or won't, tell us if he spoke to Peter Mandelson before appointing him as ambassador. LATEST DEVELOPMENTSTim Davie lands first role post-BBC after controversy-laden tenureWhitehall whistleblower reveals four ways to fix 'broken Britain' and the reason it won't happenKeir Starmer accused of 'buying off' Sadiq Khan while PM eyes up handing peerage to future rival“The strange absence of Starmer's opinion in the Mandelson files. Now the curious case of McSweeney's 'stolen' phone.An initial tranche of Cabinet Office documents released earlier this month showed the UK's national security advisor, Jonathan Powell, had raised concerns about Lord Mandelson with Mr McSweeney ahead of the appointment.Those documents also indicated that Mr Powell had flagged Lord Mandelson's links to Jeffrey Epstein as a general reputational risk before his confirmation in post.Sir Keir has said Lord Mandelson lied during the vetting process, although police have blocked the publication of a key exchange – three questions Mr McSweeney posed to Lord Mandelson about his ties to Epstein.Those questions are believed to have covered his continued contact with Epstein after a first conviction for soliciting prostitution with a minor, reports he stayed at Epstein's home while the financier was incarcerated, and his links to a charity founded by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell.MPs voted earlier this year to force the government to release all papers relating to Lord Mandelson's appointment, including electronic communications between the peer, ministers, government officials and special advisers dating back to summer 2024.Messages on Lord Mandelson's personal phone could help fill in the gaps where exchanges may otherwise be missing from the official record.A second, much larger tranche of documents is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and officials are understood to already be in possession of some messages between Lord Mandelson and Mr McSweeney.However, the Government has declined to confirm whether further correspondence may have been lost as a result of the phone theft.Mrs Badenoch has gone further, calling for documents relating to the theft itself to also be published.Lord Mandelson was removed from the Washington role in September last year following revelations about his ongoing friendship with Epstein, who died in 2019.He has not responded to requests for comment, though it is understood his position is that he did not act criminally, was not motivated by financial gain, and answered questions about his relationship with Epstein accurately during vetting.Officials are understood to be preparing the request for his personal messages to be handed over imminently, as pressure mounts on all sides for full transparency over one of the most damaging political scandals of the Starmer administration.Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
March 27, 2026