Why has Trump accused the UK’s Labour Party of election interference?
US Republican candidate Donald Trump has filed a legal complaint requesting an immediate investigation into “blatant foreign interference” on the part of British officials in the upcoming presidential election on November 5.
In a letter sent to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), Trump’s campaign lawyer Gary Lawkowski accused the UK’s ruling Labour Party of sending senior advisers and officials to US battleground states in support of his Democratic Party rival Kamala Harris.
“To protect our democracy from illegal foreign influence, it is imperative that the Federal Election Commission … investigate this matter immediately,” the complaint read.
While the UK’s Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer dismissed the claims, the incident could strain relations between the US and its closest ally in the event of Trump winning the tight election, said analysts.
What are the allegations?
The complaint cited a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Sofia Patel, the head of operations for the Labour Party, asking if anyone would be willing to travel to the US to “help our friends across the pond elect their first female president”.
Patel also said almost 100 current and former party officials were travelling to swing states including North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia, and added that there were 10 spots still available, promising that “we will sort your housing.”
The letter to the FEC also quoted a report by the Washington Post stating that “[s]trategists linked to Britain’s Labour Party have been offering advice to Kamala Harris about how to earn back disaffected voters and run a winning campaign from the center left.”
The Telegraph reported that “Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, and Matthew Doyle, director of communications, attended the convention in Chicago and met with Ms Harris’ campaign team,” the complaint added.
How has the Labour Party responded?
The United Kingdom’s prime minister said party officials were volunteering for Harris “in their spare time”, rather than in their capacity working for Labour.
