Starmer Dismisses 'Far-fetched' Claims About Stolen Phone and Mandelson Docs

Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, has strongly rejected claims that the theft of his former chief of staff's mobile phone is somehow connected to a subsequent push for the release of documents relating to Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador. Downing Street has faced pressure to address whether key messages between Morgan McSweeney and the former ambassador were lost after it emerged that the government-issued phone was stolen last year.

In response, Starmer has described the suggestions as