Thin-skinned Republican Donald Trump has accused Labour of interfering in the US election, and allies are claimed to be plotting to unleash ‘all-out war’ if he wins
Petty Donald Trump plans “all-out war” on Labour if he becomes President again, it is claimed.
The thin-skinned Republican – who enjoys the support of high-profile British politicians including Nigel Farage and Liz Truss – is incensed over volunteers linked to Labour helping his rival’s campaign. Last week he accused the Labour Party of “interference” in the US election process and launched a formal complaint.
Labour maintains that any party activists campaigning for Kamala Harris will do doing so voluntarily and at their own expense – which is legal and common practice. Keir Starmer has said he is ready to work with Mr Trump if he is successful in returning to the White House.
But Tory sources – who appear to have their own close links with the Republican Party – say Mr Trump will not let the matter slide. An insider claimed members of his team are ready to take their revenge if they come to power.
They told the Mail on Sunday: “Do not underestimate the damage Starmer has done to relations with the US – the Trump team are ready and waiting to unleash all-out war on him, because he is perceived as anti-American and a whingeing, liberal bore.”
In a complaint to the Federal Election Commission, Mr Trump’s team accused Labour of making “apparent illegal foreign national contributions” to Ms Harris’s campaign, citing a now-deleted call out by Labour’s head of operations for staff to get involved.
The filing also pointed to reports that senior No10 staff held talks with Democratic strategists on their election success. However it is understood that Morgan McSweeney, the PM’s chief of staff, and No10 comms chief Matthew Doyle, who were named in the letter, were part of Labour’s traditional delegation to the Democratic convention and were not there to advise the Harris campaign.
The Trump campaign said: “The far-left Labour Party has inspired Kamala’s dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric. In recent weeks, they have recruited and sent party members to campaign for Kamala in critical battleground states, attempting to influence our election.”
Last week the Prime Minister batted away the complaint, saying it was a regular occurrence for party staff to volunteer in the US election. He told reporters travelling with him to Samoa: “The Labour Party has volunteers, have gone over pretty much every election.
“They’re doing it in their spare time, they’re doing it as volunteers, they’re staying I think with other volunteers over there. That’s what they’ve done in previous elections, that’s what they’re doing in this election and that’s really straight forward.”
Asked if it risked jeopardising his relationship with Mr Trump if he wins, Mr Starmer said: “No. I spent time in New York with President Trump, had dinner with him and my purpose in doing that was to make sure that between the two of us we established a good relationship, which we did, and we’re grateful for him for making the time [to come from] Florida for that dinner.”
