The UK's Labour Party denies allegations of U.S. election interference.
- The Labour Party in the U.K. has denied allegations from the campaign team of former U.S. president Donald Trump that its members have meddled in the upcoming U.S. election.
- The Labour Party was accused of "blatant foreign interference" in the election by the campaign team of the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.
- Volunteers for the Democrats' campaign in the U.S. were accused of travelling to battleground states to help their nominee, Kamala Harris.
The Labour Party in the U.K. has denied allegations from the campaign team of former U.S. president Donald Trump that its members have meddled in the upcoming U.S. election.
The Labour Party was accused of "blatant foreign interference" in the vote by Donald Trump's campaign team on Monday, after party volunteers travelled to several battleground states in the U.S. to help campaign for Democratic nominee and current Vice President Kamala Harris.
Campaigners from various political backgrounds worldwide often volunteer in U.S. elections. Labour activists participate, but they do so at their own expense, in compliance with the regulations.
Earlier on Wednesday, during a visit to Samoa in the South Pacific, the U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer rejected accusations.
"The Labour Party has volunteers who have gone over every election," he said, according to the BBC.
He observed that they were staying with other volunteers and doing it in their spare time as volunteers.
The prime minister denied that his row with Donald Trump could harm their relationship, citing their enjoyable dinner at Trump Tower in New York last month, according to the British public broadcaster.
In response to the accusation in Parliament, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner stated on Wednesday that "campaigning is a common practice among political parties, and individuals go and campaign with their own money."
Complaint
On Monday, the Trump campaign team submitted a complaint to the Federal Election Commission, alleging that the Labour Party of the United Kingdom had made illegal foreign national contributions to Harris for President, the principal campaign committee of Vice President Kamala Harris.
It is illegal for foreign nationals to directly or indirectly contribute money or other valuable things to U.S. elections or to promise to do so, or for any person to solicit, accept, or receive such contributions from a foreign national.
Trump's team claimed that the Labour Party had given advice to Kamala Harris on winning back disaffected voters, and that the Harris campaign had borrowed language and themes from prominent Labour Party officials, according to media reports by the Washington Post and Telegraph newspaper.
The Trump campaign's letter cited a since-deleted LinkedIn post by Sofia Patel, the head of operations at Labour, stating that nearly 100 current and former Labour Party staff members were heading out to North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Virginia to campaign ahead of the election on Nov. 5. The party would "sort" housing for any volunteers making the trip, Patel said, according to the post's caption.
The Labour Party has been contacted by CNBC for comment on the post's authenticity.
"Trump's campaign team stated that "Ms. Patel's LinkedIn post reveals foreign interference in our elections, which is happening in plain sight.""
The complaint stated that based on Ms. Patel's posts and press reporting, it can be inferred that the Labour Party has made and the Harris campaign has accepted illegal foreign national contributions.
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