Andy Burnham duped by Susie Wiles impostor in messages, says Politico

London,UPDATED: Aug 17, 2026 19:38 IST

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was tricked into exchanging messages with an imposter who claimed to be Susie Wiles, the White House Chief of Staff to US President Donald Trump, according to a media report. American digital newspaper Politico said Burnham communicated with the person before becoming suspicious about the identity of the sender.

The report said Burnham, who took charge at 10 Downing Street on July 20, exchanged the messages in the days before and after assuming office. A person briefed on the communications told the newspaper that only a "few messages" were exchanged, that they were "of no significance", and that they were "quickly" reported to the appropriate authorities once their suspicious nature became clear.

Downing Street said, "We do not comment on national security matters." The communication between Burnham and the person posing as Wiles is believed to have been limited to messages, with no conversation having taken place.

Politico reported, quoting unnamed officials, that the British embassy in Washington was concerned enough to raise the matter with the White House. "This incident had nothing to do with the chief of staff's devices being hacked," a White House official said.

Last year, the White House and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation after US senators, governors and business executives received texts and phone calls from someone claiming to be Trump's chief of staff. The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Wiles told associates that her mobile phone contacts had been hacked. "Nobody can impersonate Susie. There's only one Susie," Trump had said then. Wiles, a key Trump ally, was also among those targeted by a cyber espionage unit linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 2024, underlining the wider concerns around such impersonation attempts.

With PTI Inputs

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