London, England – British Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with someone impersonating White House Chief of Staff Suzy Wells, one of US President Donald Trump’s closest advisors. However, he later became suspicious of the sender’s identity, according to Politico. The magazine quoted four officials as saying that Burnham interacted with messages sent by the person claiming to be Wells. A source familiar with the correspondence explained that “a few messages” were exchanged after Burnham entered the Prime Minister’s residence at Downing Street. Politico reported that the messages were not significant and that the authorities were quickly informed of the incident.
Political tensions and diplomatic moves
This incident comes at a time when Trump described Andy Burnham as “very liberal,” warning of potential disagreements with him. Meanwhile, political and diplomatic tensions are escalating between Washington and its NATO allies over the Iranian issue. The British Embassy in Washington expressed its deep concern about the incident, prompting it to raise the matter directly with the White House. A British government spokesperson declined to comment on what he termed “national security matters.” It remains unclear exactly when the messages were sent. It is also unknown what was discussed between Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer as Prime Minister on July 20, and the individual impersonating Wales.
Previous investigation into Wiles’ phone and wider security concerns
The incident sparked deep concern within the British government that Wilms’ phone might have been hacked again. However, a White House official quickly denied this, asserting that “this incident is unrelated to the hacking of senior staff members’ devices.” It’s worth noting that The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the FBI had opened an investigation into attempts to access Wilms’ phone. This followed an anonymous person impersonating her contacting prominent Republicans and business leaders. The newspaper also reported that Wilms had told close associates that unknown individuals had compromised her mobile phone’s contacts.
A series of security breaches at the White House
This incident comes amid a growing record of security concerns surrounding the Trump White House. At that time, the president’s personal phone number became widely known among journalists covering US politics. In December 2025, a US Department of Defense report concluded that Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth endangered the lives of US service members when he discussed details of a military operation with senior officials in a group chat to which a journalist had been mistakenly added. Last March, The Atlantic reported that the White House had been informed that the president’s contact information was being offered for sale to individuals seeking influence. The magazine quoted a source as saying that cryptocurrency executives and investors had offered substantial sums of money for his personal number.
