A message exchange involving UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has raised fresh security questions after he unknowingly communicated with someone pretending to be a senior White House official.
According to The Guardian, Burnham exchanged messages with an unknown person posing as Susie Wiles, Donald Trump’s chief of staff. The contact happened before concerns about the impersonation were raised.
No messages of significance were reportedly exchanged. The suspicious activity was also reported to the relevant authorities soon after it was discovered.
Falling for basic spoofing at the highest levels of government
The British embassy in Washington became concerned enough to raise the matter directly with the White House. Politico, which first reported the exchange, revealed the diplomatic response.
The UK government declined to discuss the incident in detail. A spokesperson said: “We do not comment on national security matters.”
It remains unclear when Burnham received the messages or exactly what was discussed. Burnham became prime minister on July 20 after succeeding Keir Starmer. That followed a period of political uncertainty around Starmer, including claims from President Trump that the former prime minister could eventually resign.
The episode is particularly notable because Wiles herself was previously targeted by an impersonation campaign. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2025 that the FBI investigated attempts to access Wiles’s phone after someone posing as her contacted prominent Republicans and business executives.
The earlier investigation found that an unknown person had reached influential figures through messages and calls. Some contacts were reportedly deceived before realizing the communications were not genuine.
The latest incident also comes amid wider concerns about communication security around Trump’s White House, alongside a separate debate over Starmer’s decision not to rush Britain into war with Iran. The president’s personal phone number has reportedly become widely known among US political reporters.
In December 2025, a US Defense Department report concluded that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth endangered service personnel by discussing a military operation in a Signal group that mistakenly included an Atlantic journalist. The group also included JD Vance, Mike Waltz and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
The inspector general found that secret information had been shared. The report warned that the information could have endangered US troops if intercepted by an enemy.
Meanwhile, The Atlantic reported in March that the White House had been warned Trump’s contact details were allegedly being offered for sale to people seeking influence. One administration official described the situation as “honestly just wild”, while alleging that some people had offered money or cryptocurrency for Trump’s number.
The outlet noted that the claims came from anonymous sources it had not independently verified.
Published: Aug 18, 2026 06:30 am