The left-wing Labour Party government in Britain is facing accusations of a “cover-up” after it was revealed that Prime Minister Starmer’s former chief of staff allegedly had his phone stolen, potentially preventing Parliament from accessing his communications with disgraced ex-U.S. Ambassador Peter Mandelson.
A motion introduced by Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch last month, forcing the government to release all communications and details relating to the appointment of former Tony Blair spin doctor Peter Mandelson to the top diplomatic post in Washington, given his continued relationship with paedophile New York financier Jeffrey Epstein after his child prostitution conviction.
However, it appears that some of the key evidence will not be made public, with The Sun reporting that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff and top strategist, Morgan McSweeney, reported to police last year that his personal phone had been stolen.
Conservative Shadow Cabinet Minister Alex Burghart said: “We had to drag the Mandelson files out of Keir Starmer, and now we find the phone of his former Chief of Staff and protégé of Mandelson won’t be part of the disclosure.
“The whole thing stinks of a cover-up.”
According to The Sun, some of the messages between Mandelson and McSweeney have been found — presumably in backed-up form — and will be published.
A government spokesman said: “We are committed to complying with the Humble Address in full, while continuing to support the Metropolitan Police with their investigation.”
McSweeney, who previously ran an anti-Breitbart think tank embroiled in a censorship row with the Trump administration, resigned last month, in an apparent bid to divert responsibility from the Prime Minister over the appointment of Epstein-linked Mandelson.
While McSweeney took full credit for the decision, the first tranche of government documents released this month revealed that the Prime Minister was fully aware that Mandelson had continued his relationship with Epstein following his 2008 child prostitution conviction.
The scandal is likely to continue to plague the Starmer administration, with Mandelson being arrested and placed under police investigation last month and further government files concerning his appointment as ambassador set to be released next month.
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