LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham engaged with messages from somebody impersonating one of Donald Trump’s closest advisers, four officials have told POLITICO.
The new PM communicated with someone posing as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate, the officials said.
“We do not comment on national security matters,” Downing Street said. One person briefed on the communications said a “few messages” were exchanged after the PM entered No. 10 but insisted they were “of no significance.”
The British embassy in Washington was so concerned about the incident that it raised it with the White House, two of the officials said. Like others in this article they spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter of national security.
Inside the U.K. government, there were fears that Wiles’ phone had been hacked again. The White House declined to comment.
Last year, the White House and the FBI launched an investigation after senators, governors and U.S. business executives received texts and phone calls from someone claiming to be Trump’s chief of staff.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Wiles told associates her cellphone contacts had been hacked.
What was discussed in the exchange with Burnham — and when the messages were sent — is unclear, with the erroneous contact kept a closely-guarded secret.
Burnham became PM on July 20, but it was clear he was on course to succeed Keir Starmer from the moment he won the Makerfield by-election on June 18.
