Labour staff helping on Kamala Harris campaign is 'normal', says minister

British Labour staff campaigning for Kamala Harris in the US is "normal", a minister has said.

Around 100 Labour Party staff are understood to be volunteering for the Democratic nominee ahead of the US election on 5 November.

In a now-deleted post on networking site LinkedIn, the Labour Party's head of operations said: "I have nearly 100 Labour party staff, current and former, going to the US in the next few weeks, heading to North Carolina, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

"I have 10 spots available for anyone available to head to the battleground state of [North] Carolina - we will sort your housing."

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The news has been criticised by some allies of Donald Trump, including former deputy assistant, Sebastian Gorka, who responded to a post on X about the Labour campaigners with: "This is a crime Keir Starmer".

Tech tycoon Elon Musk also claimed Labour volunteering on the Democrat campaign was "illegal".

Nigel Farage, the Reform leader, also posted on X that Labour volunteering amounted to "direct election interference" - despite the fact he had previously planned to help Donald Trump with his presidential campaign before he was elected as an MP.

US law forbids any financial contributions, donations and expenditure from foreign nationals in any elections.

However, they are allowed to volunteer in campaigns "as long as the individual is not compensated by anyone for the services".

Asked whether Labour staff helping with the Democrat campaign could damage the UK's relationship with the US in the event of a Donald Trump victory, Ms McGovern told Sky News: "As far as I know, this is a voluntary thing and it's about volunteers going and sharing their time.

"This is a normal thing that happens in elections."

Labour staff have travelled to the US during previous presidential elections to campaign for the Democratic nominee.

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Senior Conservatives in the UK, notably former prime minister Liz Truss, have also attended high-profile Republican events, including the National Convention in July.

In response to Labour staff campaigning for Ms Harris, Truss posted on X: "President Trump is definitely going to win now."

As recently as last month, Keir Starmer's former pollster, Deborah Mattinson, reportedly met Ms Harris's campaign team in Washington to share advice on the election following Labour's landslide victory in July.

Last month, the prime minister met with Mr Trump in New York, the first face-to-face meeting between the pair.

Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, who is competing against Kemi Badenoch to become the next Tory leader, has said if he were an American citizen he would vote for Mr Trump on 5 November.

Asked by GB News in a head to head on Thursday night who she would support, Ms Badenoch said she liked Ms Harris and Mr Trump "equally".

(c) Sky News 2024: Labour staff helping on Kamala Harris campaign is 'normal', says minister