Trump’s complaint against the British Labor Party explained

AU.S. presidential elections are as much a domestic affair as they are a global spectacle – one that foreign leaders are often reluctant to engage in, for fear of risking being seen as impartial. Unfortunately for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, it’s a perception he can no longer avoid after former President Donald Trump’s campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the governing body. monitoring of the US elections, accusing the ruling Labor Party of “blatant election interference”. » in support of his rival, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

“In recent weeks, (Labor) has recruited and sent party members to campaign for Kamala in critical states, attempting to influence our election,” the Trump campaign claimed Tuesday evening in a press release titled “The British are coming! In its six-page complaint dated October 21, the Trump campaign cites Washington reporting as evidence Job and others detailing the close ties between Labor and the Harris campaign, as well as a LinkedIn post, which has apparently since been deleted, from Labor chief operations officer Sofia Patel, in which she said that there were “nearly 100 Labor Party staffers (current and former)” ready to campaign for Harris in a number of swing states, and that there were 10 spots left for anyone available to join.

“Last week marked the 243rd anniversary of the surrender of British forces at the Battle of Yorktown, a military victory that guaranteed the political independence of the United States from Great Britain (sic),” the complaint states. “It seems that Labor and the Harris for President campaign have forgotten the message.”

While it is not unusual or illegal for individuals from other countries to become involved in American political campaigns (indeed, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy canvassed for former President Obama during of his first presidential campaign, as did center-left Italian opposition leader Elly Schlein), the Trump campaign argues that Patel’s offer to provide housing for volunteers amounts to a foreign contribution to the Harris campaign , which is prohibited.

Starmer brushed off the allegations, telling reporters on Wednesday that Labor volunteers “have taken part in almost every election”. A Labor Party spokesperson echoed the sentiment, telling TIME in an email that “it is common for activists of all political persuasions from around the world to volunteer in U.S. elections.” When Labor activists do so, the spokesperson adds, it is “at their own expense, in accordance with the laws and rules”.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner also downplayed the allegations on Wednesday, telling British lawmakers that “people in their own time often go out and campaign…they do what they want to do in their own time.”

Despite the extraordinary nature of the allegations, there is a long tradition of British politicians being involved in American politics, and vice versa. As he prepared for the prospect of government as opposition leader, Starmer told TIME in a 2023 interview that he was studying the United States and, in particular, President Biden’s path towards the election, “because (the Democrats are) our brother party”. Similar links are evident between the British right and their American counterparts. Indeed, former conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss supported Trump’s re-election campaign, both having attended the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this summer.

Trump, who has yet to address the subject, has dabbled in British politics himself in the past. As president, he supported Johnson’s bid for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019 and, while speaking out on the country’s election campaign months later, said that the then-opposition Labor Party , Jeremy Corbyn, would be “so bad” for Britain.

When it comes to the U.S. election, the reality is that “everyone is involved,” says Anand Menon, director of UK in a Changing Europe, a London-based think tank. “I don’t think (Starmer) messed things up in the sense that he did things that everyone else always did. But he did it in a context where you have a candidate willing to take on things like this.”

Rather, Menon adds, the furor over the Labor members’ campaign may have less to do with genuine concerns of foreign interference than with the Trump campaign’s desire to lay the groundwork for future legal complaints if their candidate fails.

Nonetheless, any suggestion of impropriety will undoubtedly anger the Labor Party, which is perhaps more sensitive to allegations of inappropriate political contributions than most other parties in recent times. Last month, the party was criticized for Starmer’s acceptance of gifts and other hospitality from wealthy Labor donors, including clothing and tickets to football matches and a Taylor Swift concert . Starmer, who declared all gifts complied with parliamentary rules, has since repaid more than 6,000 pounds (about $7,800) to cover the cost of the gifts.

But for Starmer, the more immediate concern will be what impact, if any, the fallout from these allegations will have on the much-vaunted special relationship between London and Washington. If Labor is found to have broken the rules, it could cost Harris’ campaign dearly. This was the case in 2016 when the Australian Labor Party was found to have breached a ban on foreign contributions by paying its delegates to campaign in support of Senator Bernie Sanders’ unsuccessful presidential bid. Ultimately, Sanders’ party and campaign were each fined $14,500.

The saga also risks jeopardizing Starmer’s relationship with Trump, whose ties with other world leaders have collapsed far less. While Starmer insisted he could maintain “good relations” with Trump, with whom he dined during a visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly last month, surrogates for the The former president suggests the partnership could be strained. “I think any time a foreign government tries to interfere in an election, it’s desperation,” Richard Grenell, Trump’s former intelligence director, who could be a potential candidate for the post, told the BBC. Secretary of State if Trump is re-elected. “We shouldn’t have this.”