Burnham exchanged messages with person posing as Trump's chief of staff
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham inadvertently exchanged messages with an individual impersonating US White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. The government has downplayed the incident, stating no significant information was shared and the matter was reported to authorities.
Why it matters
This highlights ongoing vulnerabilities in high-level diplomatic communications and the increasing sophistication of cyber-impersonation tactics targeting world leaders.
Image source, PA Media / Getty Images Image caption, Messages were reportedly exchanged between UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham (left) and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
Prime Minister Andy Burnham exchanged messages with a person posing as the chief of staff to US President Donald Trump.
Downing Street has declined to comment on the security breach, first reported by Politico.
Politico reported that officials said Burnham communicated with the person claiming to be Susie Wiles "before becoming suspicious that the contact was illegitimate" and claimed only a "few messages" were exchanged.
A government spokesperson said: "We do not comment on national security matters."
It is understood the communication between Burnham and the person posing as Wiles was in the form of messages and there was no conversation between the two.
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