British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Tuesday that he is not embarrassed about having exchanged messages with a person impersonating White House chief of staff Susie Wiles. He described the exchange as unimportant and said he reported it.
DR reports that Burnham rejected the suggestion of embarrassment on Tuesday, saying the exchange was insignificant. According to the broadcaster, which cited Sky News, he said he realized fairly quickly that the matter had to be reported, and that he did so.
The story was first published by Politico on Monday, based on information from four anonymous officials. Politico reported that the contact consisted of only a few messages, described by a person briefed on the matter as being of no significance.
Per Politico, Burnham initially believed he was messaging Wiles, then grew suspicious and cut off communication. Politico Europe added that two officials considered the episode serious enough that the British embassy in Washington raised it with the White House.
The date of the messages and their contents have not been made public. Both Politico Europe and Barron’s noted that neither detail has been disclosed.
White House rejects hacking link
A White House official said the incident had nothing to do with the chief of staff’s devices being hacked, according to Politico Europe. As reported by BBC News, the White House told the broadcaster that the case is unconnected to the hacking of Wiles’s phone, which was investigated in May 2025. DR notes that the British government had feared the chief of staff’s phone had been compromised again.
Downing Street initially declined to discuss the case. Bloomberg reported that a spokesperson for Burnham’s office said the government does not comment on national security matters, without disputing that the messages took place. On Tuesday, Burnham himself said both British and American authorities had acted correctly, according to DR.
US President Donald Trump played down the episode. Politico reported that he said he was sure Burnham had experienced a miscommunication, and that the two had spoken and had a good conversation.
Burnham took office on July 20, 2026, succeeding former Labour leader Keir Starmer as prime minister, as stated by Barron’s. He is not the first British politician to be deceived in contacts with foreign officials. DR notes that David Cameron, then foreign secretary, spoke in 2024 with a person posing as former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
Denmark has seen a comparable case. In 2023, then Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen of the Moderates was tricked by Russians posing as an African diplomat, according to DR.
