Burnham exchanged messages with person posing as Trump’s chief of staff

Prime Minister Andy Burnham reportedly engaged in communications with someone impersonating the chief of staff to former US President Donald Trump. The breach of security was first reported by Politico. Downing Street, however, has not commented on the incident. According to officials, Burnham communicated with the entity posing as Susie Wiles, but only exchanged "a few messages."

A government spokesperson clarified that they do not comment on national security matters. The contact, if it occurred, was reportedly limited to messaging exchanges and not actual conversations. The exchanged texts were deemed insignificant and promptly reported to the relevant authorities once suspicion arose. The FBI is currently investigating this matter.

In a separate incident in May last year, Wiles claimed her phone was hacked, and an impersonator used her contacts to communicate with other high-ranking US officials, including several senators, governors, and business executives. Wiles herself was targeted by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 2024, and the Foreign Office confirmed that then-foreign secretary David Cameron had also been the victim of a hoax call in the same year.