TRUMP FILES LABOUR COMPLAINT

Marjorie Taylor Greene and Donald Trump

Two weeks before the US presidential election a major row has blown up between US Republicans and UK Labour.  Last weekend close Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene posted a screenshot to her X account, accusing Labour of breaking US federal law by getting directly involved in the forthcoming election.

The screenshot (see below) came from the LinkedIn account of Sofia Patel, whose role is 'Head of Operations at the Labour Party'.  Patel was advertising for volunteers to travel across to the United States and campaign for Kamala Harris in the key state of North Carolina.  She boasted of almost 100 Labour colleagues already heading out to North Carolina and other key states in the tightly contested election.

"Foreign nationals are not allowed to be involved in anyway in U.S. elections," wrote Taylor Greene, an outspoken Congresswoman from Georgia.  She added:  "Please go back to the UK and fix your own mass immigration problems that are ruining your country".  Boom!

On Tuesday the Trump campaign formally complained to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in the US, accusing Labour of 'blatant foreign interference' in the election.  They claim that the offer of accommodation from Patel - "we will sort your housing" - amounts to a foreign contribution to the Harris campaign, which is against FEC law.

The six page complaint also refers to newspaper reports that senior Labour officials have met with the Harris team to offer tactical advice on securing victory in the forthcoming election.  These officials are exceptionally close to Keir Starmer and are named as follows:

Morgan McSweeney, Downing Street Chief of Staff

Matthew Doyle, Downing Street Director of Communications

Deborah Mattinson, Keir Starmer's Director of Strategy (2021-24)

Starmer has responded by saying that staff members campaigning for Harris do so 'in their spare time' and stay with other volunteers during that time.  However, the name-dropping of his two most senior aides have clearly caused the PM acute embarrassment.  In the last 24 hours the LinkedIn account of Sofia Patel has been deleted, as has a campaign page created for her by Newham Labour.  The page was to promote her candidature in the Boleyn council ward by-election of July 2023, in which she finished second and was not elected.

If the polls and the bookies are to be believed, Keir Starmer will be telephoning Donald Trump in a fortnight's time to congratulate the president-elect on his victory.  Given all the previous disparaging remarks from senior Labour figures during Trump's presidency, this might have been awkward enough, but it is likely to be eminently more awkward now.

We can only hope that Trump puts Starmer on hold, indefinitely.