Starmer has claimed this morning that it is “a little bit far-fetched” to draw a link between the timely theft of Morgan McSweeney’s phone and the Mandelson files. The quote is vintage Starm-bot:
“Well the phone was stolen. It was reported to the police. There’s a transcript of the call in which Morgan McSweeney gives his name, his date of birth, the details of the phone and the police confirm that it was reported.
Unfortunately, there are thefts like this. It was stolen. It was reported at the time and the police have acknowledged and confirmed that that is what happened.”
The idea that somehow everybody could have seen that sometime in the future there would be a request for the phone is, to my mind, a little bit far-fetched.”
Again, this line is total nonsense. The phone was reported stolen in October, after Mandelson’s sacking. Labour was already bracing for the Tories to use a humble address motion to extract evidence. Is it ‘far-fetched’ to expect McSweeney to tell the police he was the Chief of Staff? Or at the very least back up the phone? Which usually happens by default anyway…
No mention that he happened to be the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff…
Call handler: Police, what’s your emergency?
McSweeney: Oh, hello, someone just robbed my phone.
Call handler: Did they actually take it from you just now?
McSweeney: Yeah
Call handler: How did they get away?
McSweeney: So he’s on a bike. He’s come onto the pavement to grab my phone and cycled off on a bike.
Call handler: And where did this happen?
McSweeney: It happened in Belgrave Street in Westminster.
Call handler: And whose phone are you using now?
McSweeney: I’ve got two phones. I’m using my personal one. That was my work one.
Continue reading “READ IN FULL: McSweeney’s Call Transcript to Police After Phone Theft”
Wes Streeting is now diligently regurgitating the ridiculous government spin that Morgan McSweeney “couldn’t have known” his WhatsApp messages would be need to be preserved when his phone was stolen last October. Speaking on Times Radio this morning:
“I suspect that off the back of this there will be a reiteration of the expectations on ministers, special advisers and officials… people will want to tighten up on those fronts inevitably… I would just say, and I can totally understand the cynicism in these cases, do bear in mind that when his phone was stolen, it was reported to the police at the time. And he couldn’t have known at the time that Parliament would ask for the publication of all messages in the way that they have in quite an unprecedented way.”
Which is obviously total rubbish. Even in September, weeks before McSweeney’s phone vanished into the night, there was an expectation the Tories would use a humble address motion to disclose all material on Mandelson’s appointment. Labour fully anticipated it…
Ed Miliband has said that if Starmer finds the No.10 source behind the Wes Streeting briefing row, he will sack them. Speaking to Sky News, Miliband said:
“Well, look, I’ve talked to Keir before about this kind of briefing that happens. And as he always says, if he finds the person, he’ll get rid of them. And I absolutely believe he would do that.”
Miliband declined to echo Streeting’s description of Downing Street’s culture as “toxic”, though he did rule out any return to the leadership. Meanwhile attention is now turning to Morgan McSweeney, who’s being blamed by some for the chaotic briefings. No10 insists the PM retains “full confidence” in him. A “united team”…
The Electoral Commission’s explanation for letting off McSweeney is as follows:
“Under schedule 19B, paragraph 13(3) PPERA, a person who knowingly or recklessly provides false information in purported compliance with a requirement imposed under or by virtue of this Schedule, commits an offence.
We encourage all regulated entities to engage with us in an open and transparent manner, including during our investigation processes. This offence only applies where we have used our investigatory powers under Schedule 19B PPERA. Our investigation was conducted on a voluntary basis. This means we did not make use of these powers to compel compliance with any requirement imposed under or by virtue of Schedule 19B PPERA, including the use of any type of disclosure or investigation notice to compel information and explanation.”
So because the Electoral Commission was performing an ad hoc review there was no possibility of an offence for providing false information knowingly. Wonder who decided to go that way…
UPDATE: Kevin Hollinrake MP, Conservative Party Chairman, said:
“The Electoral Commission’s decision not to investigate McSweeney is wrong. The Commission must now publish all of their Morgan McSweeney Files to ensure the public has full transparency. It is clear that Morgan McSweeney deceived the Electoral Commission, but has dodged a criminal offence on a technicality. This loophole won’t wash. This is not over, we will continue to reveal more evidence, and continue to push for a full investigation by the Parliamentary Standards Commissioner into Keir Starmer.”
Starmer’s Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney is under more pressure this morning as the Tories publish correspondence from a Labour Party solicitor advising the former Labour Together chief on how to handle a failure to report over £700,000 of donations appropriately. Quite a leak…
Gerald Shamash posed questions to McSweeney in 2021 and outlined his strategy to deal with the Electoral Commission, which was pursuing action against Labour Together:
“In terms of any sanction by the EC, I am trying to steer them towards agreeing an enforcement undertaking – this essentially is where LT accepts the muddle and arranges and agrees a tight set of governance conditions with the EC. That would be an excellent outcome and would I hope minimise publicity… We have tried to winkle out of the EC whether they have a record of your conversation with them in early 2018 without raising their suspicions. They have a record of a number of calls with LT but none with you… It may be better if LT cannot deal substantively with questions I pose then perhaps best to simply base our case as to the non‐reporting down as admin error.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden defended McSweeney on Sky News:
“I can see the why the Tories want to make as much of this as they can and they they want you to be asking me and other Labour spokespeople about it but the Electoral Commission which is the body which is charged with policing donations, declarations, everything of this – They looked into these issues three, four years ago. They took action at the time and they issued a statement last night making clear that was the case.”
Gerald Shamash was elevated to the House of Lords in March 2024. The Electoral Commission is reviewing a call from the Tories to reopen its investigation after Labour Together was fined for the misreporting “admin error.” The McIaveli looking increasingly beleaguered post-Mandelson…
Speaking to Sky News off the back of Rachel Reeves’ Air Passenger Duty hike, Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said:
“Labour is dependent on those Red Wall seats, and yet every move she makes poisons economic growth and damages the UK’s recovery… it’s the Chancellor who stumbles from policy misstep to policy misstep… I think her policy decisions are incredibly stupid.”