UK PM Burnham exchanged messages with impersonator of Trump's chief of staff Wiles

The impersonation

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone posing as White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to four officials who spoke to Politico. The popular former mayor of Manchester took office as prime minister a month ago. The impersonation targeted Burnham's personal phone, as reported by Le Figaro. The communication occurred both before and after Burnham took office as prime minister on 20 July, according to The Times. Burnham became suspicious that the contact was illegitimate before detecting the deception. The exchange was limited to text messages, with no conversation taking place between the two parties. The content, exact dates, and the phone number Burnham contacted have not been disclosed. Neither Downing Street nor the White House denied that the incident occurred. A person familiar with the matter told Politico the exchange involved only "a few messages" that were "insignificant," and that the messages were reported quickly to the competent authorities as soon as they were considered suspicious.

Government response

Downing Street declined to confirm or discuss the breach. A spokesperson for the prime minister told Politico:

We do not comment on matters of national security.

The British embassy in Washington was sufficiently concerned about the incident that it raised the matter directly with the White House, fearing that Wiles' phone may have been compromised. The White House also declined to comment. The Financial Times reported on the case citing its own sources, alongside Politico's initial disclosure. Bloomberg also reported the story, citing people familiar with the matter.

Previous impersonation of Wiles

The incident follows a pattern of impersonation targeting Wiles and other senior figures. In May 2025, Wiles' personal phone, not her work device, was hacked, allowing an impostor, or multiple impostors, to access her contacts and send messages to senior American officials including senators, governors, and corporate executives. Wiles said her phone had been hacked after the impostor used her contact list to reach other senior American officials. The FBI opened an investigation last year after those officials received messages and calls from someone claiming to be Trump's chief of staff. According to the Wall Street Journal, Wiles informed people close to her that her personal phone had been hacked, giving the perpetrator access to contacts including some of the most influential people in the country. The hacker's voice was similar to Wiles' and was possibly generated using artificial intelligence.

Broader targeting pattern

Wiles, described as the most powerful woman in the White House and a key Trump ally, was also among those targeted by a cyber espionage unit associated with Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 2024. That same year, then-Foreign Secretary David Cameron was the victim of a fake call from someone posing as former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, who served as president between 2014 and 2019. Cameron exchanged text messages with the impostor. During his term as prime minister, Cameron had multiple contacts with the Ukrainian leader, including meetings at international summits. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it disclosed details of that exchange out of concern the messages could be "manipulated."