The British embassy in Washington was so concerned about the incident that it raised it with the White House, two of the officials said. Like others in this article they spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a matter of national security.
Inside the U.K. government, there were fears that Wiles’ phone had been hacked again. The White House declined to comment.
Last year, the White House and the FBI launched an investigation after senators, governors and U.S. business executives received texts and phone calls from someone claiming to be Trump’s chief of staff.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Wiles told associates her cellphone contacts had been hacked.
What was discussed in the exchange with Burnham — and when the messages were sent — is unclear, with the erroneous contact kept a closely-guarded secret.
Burnham became PM on July 20, but it was clear he was on course to succeed Keir Starmer from the moment he won the Makerfield by-election on June 18.