UK Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Also Heads to US... Growing Controversy Over 'US Election Interference'

Former President Donald Trump has filed a complaint with election authorities accusing the UK ruling Labour Party of interfering in the US presidential election, while British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's aides have also become the center of controversy.

According to The Times and other sources on the 24th (local time), the incident began when Morgan McSweeney, Chief of Staff at the UK Prime Minister's Office, and Matthew Doyle, former Communications Officer, attended the US Democratic National Convention (DNC) held in Chicago last August.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

The UK Labour Party explained that they attended the DNC due to their long-standing relationship with the US Democratic Party, not to provide election-related advice to Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate. They added that the travel expenses for McSweeney, then the Prime Minister's Political Director, were covered by the Labour Party, while Doyle's expenses were paid by a think tank.

This is not the first time a UK Labour Party official has been embroiled in controversy over interference in the US presidential election. Earlier, on the 22nd, the Trump campaign announced that it had filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC), accusing the UK Labour Party of interfering in the election to support Vice President Harris. The issue arose from a post on LinkedIn by Sophia Patel, who introduced herself as the Labour Party's 'Operations Manager,' stating that "nearly 100 current and former Labour Party staff will be heading to the US in the coming weeks."

Under US federal election law, foreign nationals are prohibited from donating money or other resources to US elections, but unpaid volunteer work is allowed as long as transportation costs do not exceed $1,000 (approximately 1.37 million KRW). The Labour Party argues that the members currently campaigning for Vice President Harris are covering their own expenses, so there is no violation of US election law.

It is not uncommon for British politicians to be involved in activities related to the US presidential election. Alex Cole-Hamilton, leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) on the 21st, "Taking a one-week vacation to Pennsylvania for Kamala." Major foreign media reported that "Prime Minister Starmer is not currently preventing party members or MPs from traveling to the US," but also noted that "some Labour MPs who had planned to provide final support just before the election on November 5 are reconsidering their plans amid growing election interference controversy."

Meanwhile, on the previous day, while heading to Samoa to attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), Prime Minister Starmer was asked by reporters whether this controversy might damage his relationship with former President Trump. Referring to their meeting in New York last month, he dismissed the concern, saying, "We had a constructive conversation, and as Prime Minister of the UK, I will work with whoever the American people elect as president."