UK Prime Minister Burnham contacted impersonator claiming to be White House chief of staff

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham engaged in a brief online exchange with someone claiming to be White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, according to four officials cited by POLITICO and confirmed by the BBC. The messages were described as "a few messages" that were "of no significance," and Burnham grew suspicious that the correspondent was not who they claimed to be during the conversation.

The Prime Minister's office did not immediately comment, though a spokesperson said it would not discuss national-security matters. The BBC added that the interaction consisted solely of text messages and did not include a verbal conversation. Details of the content and timing of the messages have not been released.

The incident follows a May report that unknown actors had accessed Wiles' personal phone and used her contacts to impersonate her in outreach to other officials, prompting an FBI investigation.

"The White House takes the cybersecurity of all staff very seriously, and this matter continues to be investigated," a White House spokesperson said at the time.

British officials expressed concern that Wiles' device may have been compromised again, and the U.K. Embassy in Washington raised the matter with the White House. Neither the White House nor the British Foreign Office responded to further inquiries.