Donald Trump’s campaign has accused British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party of engaging in “blatant foreign interference” in the U.S. presidential election. The accusation follows reports of Labour Party volunteers traveling to the United States to assist in campaigning for Kamala Harris.
In response to these actions, the Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in Washington. The complaint requests an investigation into what it terms “apparent illegal foreign national contributions” by the Labour Party of the United Kingdom, allegedly accepted by the Harris for President campaign.
The complaint references media reports and a now-deleted LinkedIn post by Sofia Patel, head of operations at the UK’s Labour Party. Patel had reportedly mentioned that “nearly 100” current and former Labour Party staff members were planning to travel to the U.S. in the upcoming weeks to support Harris, the Democratic vice-president.
The letter accompanying the complaint highlighted the LinkedIn post as a clear example of foreign interference, stating that “The interference is occurring in plain sight.”
The centre-left Labour Party, which considers the U.S. Democrats as its sister party, gained power in July. Starmer has since sought to establish connections with Trump, meeting with him at Trump Tower during a visit to New York in September.
While on a flight to Samoa, Starmer addressed reporters, expressing his belief that the complaint would not affect relations with Trump if he wins the election on November 5. He noted that Labour volunteers have participated in nearly every U.S. election, emphasizing that their involvement is voluntary and conducted in their spare time, often staying with fellow volunteers. “That’s what they’ve done in previous elections, that’s what they’re doing in this election and that’s really straightforward,” Starmer stated.
