Former President Trump’s allies are blasting the U.K.’s Labour Party after one of its officials publicized plans for 100 current and former staff members to get out the vote for Vice President Harris in battleground states.
Sofia Patel, Labour’s head of operations, set off the furor with a post on LinkedIn.
“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 ten spots available for anyone available to head to the battleground state of [North] Carolina — we will sort your housing,” Patel said in a now-deleted post on the social media platform.
A number of prominent Trump supporters lashed out at Patel, including Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and billionaire Elon Musk.
Tesla CEO Musk also called the move “illegal” in a post on social platform X.
But a community note on his own platform pointed out that while foreign nationals may not spend or receive money on federal campaigns, there is no law barring them from unpaid volunteering in support of candidates.
Still, Greene and others cried foul on Friday.
“Foreign nationals are not allowed to be involved in anyway in U.S. elections. Please go back to the UK and fix your own mass immigration problems that are ruining your country,” Greene wrote on X.
Georgia Rep. Mike Collins also called the move “election interference from foreign nationals.”
Nigel Farage, a member of U.K. Parliament who helped lead the Brexit campaign, made the same claim, calling it “particularly stupid if Trump wins” and asking, “Who is paying for all of this?”
Farage attended the Republican National Convention this summer, along with former Conservative U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, and campaigned for Trump at a rally in Arizona in 2020.
Under federal election law, foreigners are barred from “participation in decision-making” and “providing substantial assistance,” both of which mostly cover involvement in financial transactions.
The Labour Party volunteers are traveling in a personal capacity, a source familiar told The Hill. They will have to cover their own travel, while their accommodation will be provided by Democratic campaign volunteers, The Hill has learned.
The British Embassy in Washington, D.C., declined to comment and directed inquiries to the Labour Party press office. The Labour Party did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. The Harris campaign declined to comment.
This backlash from Republicans comes just a month after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Starmer, who became the first Labour prime minister since 2010 when he was elected in July, attended a two-hour dinner at Trump Tower, where they discussed “the importance of continuing to develop the strong and enduring partnership between our two countries.”
Starmer also met with President Biden at the White House in September. They discussed “a range of global issues of mutual interest.”
Updated: 3:56 p.m.
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