Sky News was halted for a breaking alert (Image: SKY NEWS)
Sky News was interrupted for a breaking alert as Prime Minister ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ said it is โa little bit far-fetchedโ to suggest former Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeneyโs phone theft was linked to the release of files on former Labour peer Peter Mandelson. It came amid concerns that correspondence relating to Mandelsonโs appointment as British ambassador to the United States could be lost after McSweeneyโs phone was stolen in London in October 2025.
A Sky News reporter asked the Prime Minister this morning as the breaking news banner flashed on the screen: โAnd just finally, critics say the theft and botched investigation of your former Chief of Staff, Morgan McSweeneyโs phone, stinks of a cover-up. Can you understand why people are suspicious of his phone being stolen just as the [Peter] Mandelson scandal was unfolding?โ
๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ answered burning questions from reporters (Image: SKY NEWS)
Starmer replied: โWell, the phone was stolen, and it was reported to the police. There is a transcript of the call in which Morgan McSweeney gives his name, his date of birth and the details of the phone, and the police confirm that it was reported.
โUnfortunately, there are thefts like this; it was stolen, it was reported at the time, and the police acknowledged and confirmed that that is what happened.
โThe idea that somehow everybody could see some time into the future, there could be a request for the phone, is to my mind a little bit far-fetched.โ
Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the loss of messages as a โcock-up rather than conspiracyโ.
Viewers were quick to comment on the Prime Ministerโs remarks, with one disgruntled X user writing: โJust because somethingโs reported doesnโt make it true. I could report my phone stolen while itโs sat in my handโฆ Doesnโt make it a reality.โ
โThis whole thing stinks. Feels like a cover-up, and honestly, thereโs something not right here that needs dragging into the open.โ
A second added: โTrouble is, @Keir_Starmer, is it isnโt a โlittle bit far-fetchedโ. Trust is at an all time low. And youโre a reason for that!โ
Meanwhile, a third penned: โSoโฆ the phone was stolen, the messages vanished, but donโt worry folks, nothing to see here. Classic politics.โ
Despite the backlash, someone else remarked: โWell, he isnโt exactly going to say, โOh yes, I hid it for him.โโ
Another said: โMakes the interviewer look stupidโฆ which is not far from reality.โ
