British Prime Minister Andy Burnham was reportedly duped into exchanging messages with an individual posing as Susie Wiles, Chief of Staff to US President Donald Trump, in a security lapse involving the new Downing Street administration.
Burnham is said to have exchanged several messages with the impersonator before becoming suspicious of the communication.
According to a person briefed on the incident, the exchanges took place after Burnham entered Downing Street and were described as being of “no significance.”
The exact contents of the messages remain unclear.
Downing Street has declined to provide details, citing national security considerations.
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“We do not comment on national security matters,” a Number 10 spokeswoman said.
The incident comes as Burnham seeks to strengthen relations with Trump following his assumption of office.
The British Prime Minister has already held a formal telephone conversation with the US president, during which they discussed UK security, the upcoming World Cup and developments in the Middle East.
Their conversation also touched on efforts to protect shipping through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
Burnham had previously indicated that his relationship with Trump would not prevent him from defending British interests, saying he would be willing to challenge the US president when necessary.
“I can’t at any point say that I won’t take a different opinion from him,” Burnham told the BBC. “Of course I would call him out if it was the right thing to do.”
The latest incident is likely to intensify scrutiny of security and identity-verification procedures surrounding the Prime Minister’s communications, particularly amid sensitive UK-US relations and wider international security tensions.
