Labour volunteers helping Harris ‘in spare time’ – Starmer
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has attempted to downplay the significance of the alleged involvement of the Labour Party in the upcoming American presidential election. The Trump Campaign has officially filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in Washington, calling for an immediate investigation. This action follows a social media post by Sofia Patel, the Labour Party’s Head of Operations, who claimed to have “ten spots available” for anyone willing to travel to North Carolina to campaign for Kamala Harris, stating, “we will sort your housing.” Patel mentioned that around 100 current and former party staff members would be heading to the U.S. before Election Day. The post has since been taken down from LinkedIn.
According to FEC rules, foreign nationals are allowed to volunteer on campaigns in the U.S. as long as they are not paid. The Trump Campaign’s complaint is both pointed and dramatic, noting, “When representatives of the British government previously sought to go door-to-door in America, it did not end well for them,” referring to the historical context of U.S. independence roughly 250 years ago. The letter demands an “immediate investigation” into what it terms “blatant foreign interference.”
While en route to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in Samoa, Starmer addressed reporters, stating, “The Labour Party has volunteers; they’ve 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.”
The Trump Campaign’s letter to the FEC also pointed out that Morgan McSweeney, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, and Matthew Doyle, the director of communications, attended the Democratic convention in Chicago and met with Harris’ campaign team. Additionally, Deborah Mattinson, who recently stepped down as Sir Keir’s director of strategy, traveled to Washington in September to brief Harris’ campaign on Labour’s strategy for winning elections.
Party sources have clarified that Doyle and McSweeney attended the Democratic Convention on their own time, and that the Democratic Party did not cover their travel and accommodation expenses, though it remains unclear who did.
