Where was the outrage from sections of the right-wing press when Farage and Truss went over to support Trump?
Over recent days, right-wingers such as Liz Truss and Nigel Farage have expressed much outrage over Labour Party volunteers making plans, in their own time, to go to the U.S. to help Kamala Harris in her campaign to defeat Donald Trump in the U.S. election.
They have falsely accused the Labour Party of election interference, after reports emerged that around 100 current and former party staff are heading to America before polling day to help Kamala.
Trump and Musk have also waded in, with the Trump campaign filing a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in Washington seeking an immediate investigation into alleged “blatant foreign interference”.
What does U.S. law say?
According to the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), foreign nationals – including individuals without US citizenship, foreign governments, foreign political parties, and foreign companies – cannot give money, make donations, or spend funds in any US elections.
It’s also against the law to knowingly accept donations from a foreign national.
Crucially, the law does state that foreign nationals “may volunteer personal services to a federal candidate or federal political committee without making a contribution.”
That means volunteers can support a political campaign, provided no one is paying them to do so.
The Labour Party’s response
Labour leader Keir Starmer has said that party staff going to the US to campaign for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris were volunteers “doing it in their spare time” and staying with other volunteers.
Speaking to reporters travelling with him to the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, he said: “The Labour party…. 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 straightforward.”
The hypocrisy of the right
Both Farage and Truss have been reminded that they both went to the U.S. to show support for Trump.
Former Labour MP Ben Bradshaw posted on X: “This “@UKLabour helping the Democrats” story is such a pile of nonsense. Labour & Conservative supporters have always volunteered to help the Democrats, just as Truss, Johnson, Farage et al have campaigned for Trump & the Republicans.”
Social media users shared a tweet previously put out by Truss, in which she uploaded a picture of herself outside the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, with the words: “Great to be at the @RNC in Milwaukee seeing President Trump get nominated.
“The leadership the West needs.”
Farage of course also went to the U.S. to help Trump. Appearing on BBC Politics Live, Labour’s Chris Bryant told Farage: “You went earlier this year to support Donald Trump in an election year. You had your flight and your expenses covered. And you’ve had £30k worth of support”.
Where was the outrage from sections of the right-wing press then?
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
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