UK PM Burnham exchanged messages with Trump aide impersonator

• British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a source familiar with the incident.
• Burnham reportedly became suspicious, and the incident was reported to the appropriate authorities.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, one of US President Donald Trump’s closest advisers, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

It remains unclear when the exchange took place or what was discussed. Politico, which first reported the incident Monday, said the British Embassy in Washington was sufficiently concerned to raise the matter with the White House.

Downing Street declined to comment, citing national security matters.

CNN reported that the communication took place through messages and that “no messages of significance” were exchanged.

Burnham reportedly became suspicious of the person’s identity, and the incident was subsequently reported to the appropriate authorities.

The incident was not linked to any hacking of Wiles’ devices, according to a White House official.

“This incident had nothing to do with the Chief of Staff’s devices being hacked,” the official told CNN.

Burnham became Britain’s prime minister on July 20, after returning to Parliament a month earlier and effectively serving as prime minister-in-waiting.

The incident comes amid continued phishing and impersonation attempts targeting people associated with Wiles.

In May 2025, US law enforcement investigated efforts to impersonate Wiles after she told others in the Trump administration that she believed her personal phone and contact list had been compromised.

The impersonator contacted prominent figures whose numbers were reportedly contained in Wiles’ contact list, including business executives, senators and governors.

Several recipients were skeptical that the messages had actually come from Wiles, according to a senior White House official at the time.