US election 'interference' row awkward for Starmer if Trump wins

Although even in a worst-case-scenario of Trump being elected in November this could be rather awkward.

The Trump-Vance campaign have claimed that Labour Party has engaged in “blatant foreign interference” in the US election and will be suing for a investigation into Labour members’ call for vote to Kamala Harris.

But is this any new, or again only the political move of the Trump’s team?

Starmer tells the BBC that there has been no change in his relationship with Trump - Politics live

The Trump camp's unease about what they see as Labour interfering in domestic US politics in part came about because of a now-deleted post on networking site LinkedIn last week, in which Labour's head of operations, Sofia Patel, said: I personally know close to 100, current and previous, Labour Party staffs that will be heading to the US in the next one month to North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

“I have 10 spaces for anyone willing to go to the battleground state of [North] Carolina – we will sort housing out for you.”

This post elicited a reaction from Republicans where some thought this social media post showed Labour - and in turn, the government – backing the Harris campaign.

Non- Americans are permitted to volunteer for a campaign under America laws but cannot be paid for their services.

There is no ambiguity that the Federal Election Commission in the United States of America holds that foreign national volunteers working for the campaign of the election “must be careful not to engage in the formulation of the policies of the campaign”.

As for the idea that Labour volunteers have been involved in any way in the decision-making for the Harris campaign, or that the Labour Party funded or organised these trips to the US or made any financial contribution to the Harris campaign there is no such indication or evidence.

This is not the first time politicians and activists cross the pond to meet and support similar parties; for instance, both Farage and Truss have supported Trump and have participated in Republican gatherings in the past.

Furthermore, the Labour Party, as is expected, always sends a delegation to the Democratic Convention which is within the rules; after Clinton electoral victory, both Blair and Brown jetted to Washington to meet with Democratic campaigners in the 1990s.

The prime minister has defend that there is nothing wrong or unusual with Labour volunteers travelling to the US on their own free volition and at their own expenses to offer support to Kamala Harris.

Starmer also said that the political friendship of the US and the UK is not under threat because of this feud.

One might also say, political parties exchange examples constantly so exchange of experience is not unique here at all.

With such allies as former prime minister Liz Truss and Elon Musk who himself is being accused of violation of electoral law Labour is being accused of violation of US Federal law, team trump presumably will continue persecuting the current state of political affairs in USA, while attacking possible opponent.