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Keir Starmer shrugs off Trump’s accusation that the Labour Party is meddling in U.S. elections—but insists he wants to remain friends

Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
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Prarthana Prakash
By
Prarthana Prakash
Prarthana Prakash
Europe Business News Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 23, 2024, 6:23 AM ET
Donald Trump's campaign filed a complaint alleging that the Labour Party is meddling with the U.S. elections.
Donald Trump's campaign filed a complaint alleging that the Labour Party is meddling with the U.S. elections.Win McNamee—Getty Images

Donald Trump’s latest antic ahead of the U.S. election month is accusing the U.K.’s ruling Labour Party of meddling. 

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The former president filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the Keir Starmer-led party of “blatant foreign interference.”  

It points to his opponent and the Democratic Party’s front-runner, Kamala Harris, accepting “illegal foreign national contributions” from Starmer’s party. The complaint from Monday cites media reports and LinkedIn posts made by the Labour Party’s head of operations, Sofia Patel. 

Patel’s posts, now deleted, mention Labour Party members traveling to the U.S., which the complaint claims are volunteers helping Harris gain more support. 

“The interference is occurring in plain sight,” the letter from the Trump campaign’s legal team says. 

Ironically, the complaint, which made historical references to the Battle of Yorktown which marked the U.S.’s independence from the U.K., misspelled Great Britain as “Great Britian.” 

Starmer, who was on his way to Samoa, told reporters that Labour volunteers had traditionally supported the Democrats during previous U.S. elections. 

“That’s what they’ve done in previous elections, that’s what they’re doing in this election and that’s really straightforward,” Starmer said. 

During his presidential term, Trump faced a special counsel investigation over Russia’s electoral interference, which was ultimately put to rest as there wasn’t sufficient evidence. 

Now, with less than two weeks to election day, the stakes couldn’t be higher as Trump and Harris are fighting neck-to-neck.

Under normal circumstances, Trump’s claims could ruffle feathers across the pond. Still, Starmer said he had a “good relationship” with the presidential candidate that won’t be compromised by the complaint.   

But could Trump’s allegations hurt elections anyway? “Absolutely not,” Steve Reed, the U.K.’s environment secretary, told Times Radio.

“I’ve seen Americans here in our election as well, but none of this has been organised or paid for by the Labour Party,” Reed said. “It’s certainly not unusual for President Trump to use colourful language.”

Elon Musk took to X, formerly Twitter, to call the alleged actions “illegal.” The Guardian reported that he soon deleted the post after a community note pointed out it wasn’t. 

Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK party and a controversial figure in U.K. politics who has campaigned for Trump previously, weighed in on the matter. He said that even though sending volunteers is commonplace, doing so while taking time off work and without being paid is a “breach of American electoral law.” 

Representatives at the Prime Minister’s Office didn’t immediately return Fortune’s request for comment.

The Fortune 500 Innovation Forum will convene Fortune 500 executives, U.S. policy officials, top founders, and thought leaders to help define what’s next for the American economy, Nov. 16-17 in Detroit. Apply here.
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Prarthana Prakash
By Prarthana PrakashEurope Business News Reporter
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Prarthana Prakash was a Europe business reporter at Fortune.

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