Andy Burnham communicated with someone pretending to be one of Donald Trump's closest advisers, it is understood. The new Prime Minister is said to have engaged with messages sent by someone impersonating Susie Wiles, the White House's chief of staff, before becoming suspicious, reports said.
Messages exchanged after entering Downing Street
One person informed of the incident told Politico a “few messages” were exchanged after the PM entered Downing Street but insisted they were “of no significance”. It is unclear what the pair talked about.
Downing Street refused to comment on the specifics. “We do not comment on national security matters,” a No10 spokeswoman said. The British embassy in Washington DC reportedly raised the incident with the White House over concerns. UK officials feared Ms Wiles had been hacked.
FBI and White House investigations
The FBI and White House started probing reports of someone pretending to be Ms Wiles last year, according to reports by US media. Last May, the Wall Street Journal reported that senators, governors, top American business bosses and other well-known figures had received calls and text from someone saying they were her.
“The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated,” a White House spokeswoman said at the time.
Burnham's call with Trump
Mr Burnham held a phone call with Mr Trump shortly after he became Prime Minister. No10 said he set out his "vision" for the UK and that he hoped to show the US President "what Manchester had to offer during a visit in the future". The pair also spoke about the World Cup, which was co-hosted by the US, security of the UK and the situation in the Middle East, including the need to secure the movement of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
In his first major interview as PM, Mr Burnham last month said he would be prepared to call out Mr Trump to defend Britain's "national interest before anything else". He told the BBC: "I can't at any point say that I won't take a different opinion from him [Trump], that I will need to voice a different idea that is right for Britain." Asked if he would call out Mr Trump if it was the right thing to do, he said: "Of course." He continued: "You have to defend your own national interest before anything else. That's what you're required to do if you're to do this job properly."
Strained relations with previous PM
Mr Burnham will be hoping for a smooth transition with the White House after Keir Starmer faced an up-and-down journey with the US President. The relationship between the pair came under strain after Mr Starmer voiced disagreement with US-Israel strikes on Iran at the end of February. In a series of deranged rants earlier this year, the US President repeatedly mocked the former British PM, accusing Mr Starmer of being "no Winston Churchill" over his reluctance to let the US launch attacks on Iran from British soil. Mr Trump has also previously ridiculed UK aircraft carriers, calling them "toys", and lashed out at NATO for doing "absolutely nothing" to help the US in his conflict.
