McSweeney messages to Mandelson still exist in spite of phone theft

The Cabinet Office is understood to hold a number of text and email exchanges between Peter Mandelson and Morgan McSweeney, despite the theft of the former chief of staff's phone in October last year.

- Jessica Elgot Pippa Crerar Peter Walker

The whereabouts of McSweeney's messages with Mandelson have been under intense scrutiny since it was reported his work device was stolen last year shortly after Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador.

On Tuesday it was revealed that McSweeney did not disclose that he was Keir Starmer's chief of staff when he reported the theft, according to a transcript released by the Met police in a highly unorthodox move for the force which said it wanted to correct misreporting of the incident.

However, not all of McSweeney's exchanges have been lost and a tranche is to be publicly released as part of the Mandelson files, due in the coming weeks after the disclosure was forced by a parliamentary motion. It is understood that the Cabinet Office has retained some email and text messages between the pair, who had a close friendship.

McSweeney, who left the No 10 role in February, told police it was a government phone when he reported it had been snatched, minutes after the theft in central London.

He told police the iPhone had a tracker on it, according to the transcript of the emergency call minutes after it happened. But he did not explain the sensitivity of the phone's contents, records of the call suggest.

On Tuesday, the Met released the full transcript of the 999 call made by McSweeney after the theft. The force said two attempts were made to follow up with McSweeney, who did not answer during office hours, and that CCTV cameras were examined, though at the wrong location.