What has Donald Trump accused Keir Starmer's Labour of? US presidential campaign's complaint explained

Independent

23-10-2024

Donald Trump's presidential campaign has launched an extraordinary attack on Keir Starmer's Labour as party officials are accused of interfering in the upcoming US election.
Filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, the Trump-Vance campaign accused Labour of illegal foreign donations to rival Kamala Harris' campaign.
Writing on Mr Trump's website, a spokesperson for the former president says: 'The far-left Labour Party has inspired Kamala's dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric.'
The post contains several obvious references to the American Revolutionary War, fought in the 18th century, which resulted in the US gaining independence from Britain.
Titled 'The British Are Coming!', the post begins: 'When representatives of the British government previously sought to go door-to-door in America, it did not end well for them…'
Keir Starmer has attempted to play down the row, saying that he still has a 'good relationship' with Mr Trump, whom he has met with in the past.
Here's everything you need to know about the row:
What is the Labour Party accused of?
Sending (and funding) activists to battleground states
In its complaint to the FEC, the Trump campaign's deputy general counsel Gary Lawkowski accuses the Labour Party and the Harris-Walz campaign of 'making and accepting illegal foreign national contributions'.
Explaining its position on Mr Trump's website, a spokesperson wrote: 'In recent weeks, [Labour] has recruited and sent party members to campaign for Kamala in critical battleground states, attempting to influence our election.'
The Trump campaign's complaint raises a few issues. Firstly, they believe that the campaigning efforts of several Labour activists in the US are in breach of the country's electoral law.
A key piece of evidence is a now-deleted LinkedIn post from Sofia Patel, head of operations at the Labour Party, in which she says she has arranged for '100 Labour Party staff (current and former)' to travel to the key battleground states in the US. She adds that there are still '10 spots available' for North Carolina.
A later email to Labour activists from Ms Patel on 2 August said: 'If anyone would be willing to travel to the US to 'help our friends across the pond elect their first female president'' and '[l]et's show those Yanks how to win elections!'
Trump's campaign managers argue this constitutes a clear breach of the electoral law pertaining to the involvement of foreign nationals.
Importantly, FEC rules do not ban foreign nationals from participating in campaign activities as an 'uncompensated volunteer'. Labour activists who sought to help with Ms Harris' campaign are understood to have been required to pay for their own flights and car hire.
However, it is also reported Democrat volunteers provided accommodation to these activists and that Labour staff were expected to book annual leave for the duration of their trip.
This is where the Trump complaint becomes slightly more speculative. Mr Lawkowski writes that the 'language' of Ms Patel's post supports 'reasonable inference' that these US visits were funded by the Labour Party. He also says the limited number of spaces said to be available for the North Carolina trip 'suggests scarcity, which in turn suggests an expenditure of resources'.
Advising the Harris-Walz campaign
The second element of the complaint suggests foreign nationals from the Labour Party are exercising control over parts of Ms Harris' presidential campaign.
Mr Lawkowski points to reports that Labour Party staff who helped the party secure victory in July have been advising Ms Harris' team on electoral strategy. These include Morgan McSweeney, the prime minister's close ally and chief of staff, and Matthew Doyle, Downing Street director of communications.
Both are understood to have visited the Democratic National Convention in August, where they met with Ms Harris' campaign team.
Veteran political adviser Deborah Mattinson, Sir Keir's director of strategy, is also reported to have met with Harris campaign representatives in September to advise on securing electoral victory.
FEC rules state foreign nationals are 'prohibited from participating in decisions involving election-related activities'. The commission's guide says, for example, that 'a foreign national volunteer may attend committee events and campaign strategy meetings, but may not be involved in the management of the committee'.
The complaint from the Trump campaign counsel alleges this is also illegal. Mr Lawkowski points to 'the similarity in messaging' between the Harris campaign and Labour's recent successful election campaign to support another 'reasonable inference' that the advice received has unduly influenced Harris team strategy.
How has Labour responded?
Responding to the complaint, Sir Keir told reporters: 'The Labour party … volunteers, have gone over pretty much every election. They're doing it in their spare time, they're doing it as volunteers, they're staying I think with other volunteers over there.
'That's what they've done in previous elections, that's what they're doing in this election and that's really straight-forward.'
The prime minister also denies the episode has soured his relationship with Mr Trump, saying: 'I spent time in New York with President Trump, had dinner with him and my purpose in doing that was to make sure that between the two of us we established a good relationship, which we did, and we're grateful for him for making the time.
'We had a good, constructive discussion and, of course as prime minister of the United Kingdom I will work with whoever the American people return as their president in their elections which are very close now.'
Steve Reed, the environment secretary, told BBC Breakfast: 'It's up to private citizens how they use their time and their money and it's not unusual for supporters of a party in one country to go and campaign for a sister party in another - it happens both ways round and across many, many countries.
'But none of this was organised or funded by the Labour Party itself, these are individual people making their own choices as they are free to do.'