British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged a few text messages with a person impersonating Susie Wiles, chief of staff to US President Donald Trump, before growing suspicious and alerting security officials, sources confirmed on August 17, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5].
The messages, which neither side has disclosed in detail or dated publicly, were described by officials as "of no significance" and did not address important topics [1, 3, 4]. The British embassy in Washington raised the issue with the White House following the discovery [2, 3, 5].
A White House official said the incident "has nothing to do with the Chief of Staff’s devices being hacked," aiming to rule out a cybersecurity breach affecting Susie Wiles directly [3, 4]. Wiles is a close adviser to Trump and has served as his White House chief of staff since 2025, having co-managed Trump’s 2024 campaign [1, 4].
Similar impersonation attempts targeting Wiles have occurred since 2025. Those attempts included calls and texts to US senators, governors, and business leaders, which triggered federal investigations [1, 3, 4]. British politicians have also faced impersonation hoaxes in recent years. Former Prime Ministers David Cameron and Boris Johnson were targeted in 2018 and 2024, respectively, with fake calls and messages from impersonators posing as foreign leaders [1, 5].
Burnham became UK Prime Minister on July 20, 2026, just weeks before the impersonation incident surfaced publicly [2, 5]. The Downing Street spokesperson declined to comment, stating, "We do not comment on national security matters," also repeating this in Mandarin when approached by Chinese media [2, 3].
The timing and precise content of Burnham’s exchanges with the impersonator have not been revealed. However, officials emphasize the matter was contained quickly without affecting sensitive discussions [1, 2, 3]. Authorities continue to investigate impersonation cases involving high-level political figures.
Reports on August 17 mark the public disclosure of Burnham’s contact with the impersonator. No further updates have been announced about ongoing inquiries or related security measures at this time [1, 2, 3, 4].
