Someone Pretending to Be Trump's Top Aide Sent Messages to Andy Burnham

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham received text messages from someone pretending to be Susie Wiles, chief of staff to US President Donald Trump. Burnham became suspicious and reported the contact, Politico reported.

Officials said only a "few messages" were exchanged and that no live conversation took place. Sources told the outlet that "no messages of significance" were shared. Once the messages seemed suspicious, they were "quickly reported to the appropriate authorities." (BBC)

Downing Street would not comment on the breach. A UK government spokesperson said: "We do not comment on national security matters." (BBC)

This is not the first time someone has posed as Wiles. The BBC reported in May 2025 that the FBI had begun investigating the hacking of Wiles' phone. Wiles said her personal phone, not her work phone, had been broken into. The person or people behind it then used her contacts list to message other senior American figures, including US senators, governors and top business executives. (BBC)

Wiles was also targeted in 2024 by a spy unit linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, according to the BBC. That earlier targeting may help explain the later impersonation campaign that reached Burnham, though the facts do not prove a direct link between the two. (BBC)

The broader context here matters. Burnham is the Mayor of Greater Manchester, one of the most prominent Labour politicians in English local government, though he does not sit in Parliament. Any contact between a senior UK elected official and someone claiming to speak for the White House chief of staff is sensitive, even if the messages themselves were of no importance. The key detail officials are likely to point to is how quickly the matter was reported once suspicion was raised. Because nothing of substance was exchanged, the risk of harm appears limited.

The government's refusal to comment follows a long-standing rule on national security matters. It tells us the incident is being treated as a security issue rather than a political one, which is notable given Burnham's public profile.

For those following the Wiles impersonation story, the Burnham contact adds a UK angle to what looks like a wide-reaching operation. The impersonator or impersonators used Wiles' contacts list to exploit trust — rather like a thief stealing a colleague's address book and writing to everyone in it pretending to be that person. The list of people already targeted includes American senators, governors and business executives. A senior UK regional politician now features on that list, at least indirectly.

The fact that Wiles' personal phone, not her government phone, was compromised is an important detail. A personal phone sits outside the security systems that protect official government communications. Defending against this kind of attack depends on individuals being alert and reporting unusual messages quickly. By that measure, the Burnham episode appears to have been caught early, though the government's silence leaves a gap between what officials told Politico and what has been formally confirmed.

What remains unclear is whether the impersonation that reached Burnham is directly linked to the earlier Iran-connected targeting of Wiles, or whether a different group is exploiting the same stolen contacts. The BBC's reporting confirms the phone hack and the impersonation campaign that followed, and places Burnham among those contacted. It does not say who was behind the impersonation itself, beyond the earlier link to Iran's Revolutionary Guards. That gap is likely to remain, given the national security reasons the government has given for staying silent.