Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the UK’s Labour Party, accusing it of “blatant foreign interference” in the US election in aid of the Harris-Walz campaign.
The complaint cites media reports about contact between Labour and the Harris campaign as well as apparent volunteering efforts, arguing that this amounts to illegal “contributions”.
Helen of High Noon
I misplaced a quote by Starmer who said he did not realize how isolated Britain had become, but, in searching for that quote, I discovered Starmer has been playing the Britain Stands Alone Card for some time. Why? I read about a lawsuit and wondered if Britain embracing Zelensky caused Trump to embrace Putin, openly, and withdraw support for Ukraine. I suspect the VVPP Tag Tea, were seething after meeting with Starmer – who handed Trump an invitation from THE KING……of England! Who do these Brits think they are? Vance tried to tear Britain down after the Big Bombastic Braggard Show – that looks like the START of World War Three! VVPP knows Putin – HATES THE BRITISH! Did they know Putin wants to restore the Romanov Dynasty in all of Europe, because, Czar Nicholas is kin to William and Harry Windsor? Didn’t I crown Harry – THE KING OF AMERICA?
“Oh shut up, John, you crazy acid-soaked Anglophile”!
To know how far our Democracy has shifted toward Russia, read the article about the Speaker of the House – former support for Ukraine..
John Ptresco
“T”he recent court case opened by the Trump team over alleged foreign interference in the US election by Labour for sending 100 volunteers across to support the Harris campaign, lifted the lid on the deep animosity that the MAGA Republicans have for Starmer, his party and his government.
How Trump victory leaves Starmer isolated on the world stage
Analysis: With the UK out of the EU and a highly hostile White House administration across the Atlantic, no British prime minister has been more isolated in modern history
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With Donald Trump securing a crushing victory over Kamala Harris in the US presidential election, Keir Starmer’s dream of a social democratic, centre-left version of the famous Thatcher/ Reagan partnership between Downing Street and the White House is in tatters.
The recent court case opened by the Trump team over alleged foreign interference in the US election by Labour for sending 100 volunteers across to support the Harris campaign, lifted the lid on the deep animosity that the MAGA Republicans have for Starmer, his party and his government.
Trump has declared victory (AP)
The fallout had undone months of meticulous diplomacy by Labour preparing for this possible eventuality, which had culminated a few weeks ago with what seemed to be a positive meeting between Starmer and Trump in New York.
But the problem Labour has always faced is that their efforts have been led by a foreign secretary David Lammy who described Trump as a “neo-Nazi sociopath”. Mr Lammy had put in hard yards to rebuild relations with the Republicans and US hard right, even defending Trump’s incendiary comments on Nato, but the 45th and soon-to-be 47th president is not someone who easily forgives insults and slights.
Now Labour’s problems are compounded by Brexit. When Sir Keir visited Brussels to meet Ursula von der Leyen and other senior EU figures last month, journalists who went with him commented on how empty the EU capital was and how little interest there was in a Starmer visit. His efforts for an EU reset are now perhaps more urgent than ever, but there are serious questions on whether the prime minister is willing to be ambitious enough to spark interest in the UK.
He faces a problem that Britain will no longer be seen as the bridge to America with a Trump administration in the White House. That role disconcertingly may now fall to Hungary and its hard-right prime minister Viktor Orban, who was a regular visitor to Trump and a political ally.
Nowhere will this be felt more though than Ukraine. The UK has been the biggest cheerleader of military support and aid against Russia. But the EU states, while politicially supportive, have been reluctant to pay and now it appears a Trump administration will try to force a deal with Putin’s Russia. Sir Keir and the UK will be powerless to uphold the international coalition.
The hard and far-right in Europe will be boosted by what has happened in America. The only UK politician to come out of this happy will be Nigel Farage, who can now start thinking about welcoming Mr Trump to Clacton. He was lauded again by the former and soon-to-be president just this week and the two men are friends.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has a diplomatic headache (Jordan Pettitt/PA) (PA Wire)
Mr Farage has genuine hopes and ambitions to lead his Reform UK party to victory at the next election and at the very least replace the Tories. What has happened in America certainly gives him succour.
But worse still, the far-right in the UK and elsewhere may be emboldened. Trump’s circle have openly praised Tommy Robinson and supporters like Elon Musk, who claimed that civil war in the UK was “inevitable” during riots across the country this summer and branded the prime minister “two-tier Keir” over policing of the disorder.
Meanwhile, it leaves the new Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and her new shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel in a difficult spot. Both have good Republican links and Florida governor Ron DeSantis endorsed Ms Badenoch. But neither are close to the Trump camp. It is a different type of Republicanism and one which will help Reform establish itself and not the the Tories make a comeback.
But the person with the biggest headache will be Sir Keir. His best international ally now is German chancellor Olaf Scholz. Unfortunately, Scholz will struggle to stay in power when his country holds its national election next year.
Ukraine war live: UK ‘a random country that hasn’t fought in 40 years’, JD Vance says
The US vice-president’s comments have led to anger among British service personnel, who served alongside American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan
LIVE
, Policy Editor | Tara Fair
Tuesday March 04 2025, 1.15pm GMT, The Times
JD Vance shakes hands with the Fox News interviewer Sean Hannity
Ukraine is still ready to sign a minerals deal with the United States, its prime minister has emphasised. “This agreement has been approved by the Ukrainian government,” Denys Shmyhal said.
His comments came after President Trump hinted on Monday that the agreement to open up Ukraine’s minerals to American investment could still be viable, despite his rift with President Zelensky.
12 minutes ago
1.10pm GMT
Starmer ‘blindsided’ by Trump’s decision
Sir Keir Starmer had told MPs he was unaware of US plans to freeze military aid to Ukraine
Sir Keir Starmer spoke to President Trump last night, having been blindsided by his decision to suspend weapons shipments to Ukraine (Oliver Wright writes).
The prime minister told MPs on Monday afternoon that he was unaware of reports that Trump was considering the moratorium. He added: “As I understand it, that is not [his] position.”
A few hours later White House officials confirmed the weapons freeze. Downing Street said on Tuesday that Starmer had spoken to Trump in the evening before the official announcement of the administration.
Trump accuses UK’s Labour Party of ‘foreign interference’
23 October 2024ShareSave
Bernd Debusmann Jr
BBC News
Donald Trump’s campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint against the UK’s Labour Party, accusing it of “blatant foreign interference” in the US election in aid of the Harris-Walz campaign.
The complaint cites media reports about contact between Labour and the Harris campaign as well as apparent volunteering efforts, arguing that this amounts to illegal “contributions”.
The BBC understands that Labour activists campaigning in the US presidential election are doing so in a personal capacity.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, has sought to play down the row – pointing out that Labour has long sent volunteers to US elections.
It is considered normal for party officials from the UK to be in contact with counterparts in the US. This has also has taken place previously between Trump’s Republican Party and the UK’s Conservative Party.
Asked by BBC political editor Chris Mason whether the row risked jeopardising his relationship with any future Trump administration, the UK PM said “no”.
Sir Keir pointed to a dinner the two men had together at Trump Tower in New York last month, saying they “established a good relationship”.
The BBC has contacted the Harris-Walz campaign for comment.
The dispute appears to have begun with a LinkedIn post which asked for people to travel to the US and said nearly 100 were signed up to go.
The post, from Labour Party head of operations Sofia Patel, added that 10 “spots” are available and that “we will sort your housing”.
It appears to have since been deleted.
The Trump campaign complaint cites this, as well as newspaper reporting that Labour-linked individuals have travelled to the US to campaign for Harris.
That reporting, the complaint alleges, creates a “reasonable inference that the Labour Party has made, and the Harris campaign has accepted, illegal foreign national contributions”.
The complaint also refers to Washington Post reporting that communications were exchanged between the parties and that senior officials have met in private.
The Trump campaign has also made comparisons with an international programme in 2016 in which the Australian Labor Party, or ALP, sent delegates to help with Bernie Sanders’ campaign.
In that instance, however, the ALP paid for flights and daily stipends. The party and the campaign were each handed down civil penalties of $14,500.
Activists’ trips by the UK Labour Party have not been organised or funded by the party, it is understood from party officials.
Foreign nationals are permitted to serve as campaign volunteers as long as they are not compensated, according to FEC rules.
A former Labour activist who volunteered for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008 called Trump’s allegations “nothing more than a political stunt”.
Matthew McGregor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the most a foreign volunteer could receive was a bottle of water or some pretzels.
In reference to Patel’s offer to “sort” the housing of those who went on the trip, Mr McGregor said it was common for Democratic activists to offer their spare rooms or sofas to volunteers.
Speaking to the Today programme himself, one Trump ally said the suggestion of interference was more of a “perception problem than a legal one”.
Chris Ruddy, CEO of Newsmax Media, added that story was more important in the UK than in the US currently, but as the election got closer it “could become a bigger issue”.
Do you live outside the US and have a question about the election? Tell us here or use the form below.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Military Attire at the White House Draws Comparisons to Winston Churchill
As has become something of a trademark for the 44-year-old Ukrainian leader, Zelenskyy wore his green military fatigues to meet the president at the White House Wednesday
Photo: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images; Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being hailed for his live address to the U.S. Congress on Wednesday — a moment that’s drawing comparisons to Winston Churchill for, among other things, what he wore.
Making his first trip outside his home country since the Russian invasion began in February, Zelenskyy arrived in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, where he first met with President Joe Biden and first lady Dr. Jill Biden.
As has become something of a trademark for the 44-year-old Ukrainian leader, Zelenskyy wore his green military fatigues with a matching sweatshirt — a symbol of patriotism with his countrymen continuing to fight back at home and a reminder that the comedian-turned-politician stands in solidarity with his people.
As political historians were quick to note, arriving for a meeting with the president in casual military uniform may look unusually dressed-down, but it’s not without precedent.
When British Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited the White House in 1941 — amid World War II — he did so in a one-piece romper suit, meant to be worn in the event of an air raid.
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
As Fox News host Bret Baier noted in an op-ed for the network, the parallels between Churchill and Zelenskyy are notable. Both men, Baier wrote, “in their own times stood in the breach to defend freedom when the odds were almost insurmountable.”
“Churchill was virtually alone in the world against Hitler, even as bombs were falling nightly on his cities,” Baier continued. “Zelenskyy wasn’t expected to survive a week after the Russian invasion, much less nearly 10 months and counting.”
Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in earnest in February, Zelenskyy became an overnight wartime hero to many, gaining recognition for his selfie videos from the capital, in which he vows to continue the fight, and for his his rebuff of a U.S. offer to evacuate him from danger, when he declared, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
Speaking to Time in April, Zelenskyy — who has two children, 17-year-old Oleksandra and 9-year-old Kyrylo, with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska — acknowledged that he has become a “symbol,” adding that the attention is why he has been so steadfast about remaining in the country.
“You understand that they’re watching,” he tells the outlet. “You’re a symbol. You need to act the way the head of state must act.”
On Wednesday, he sat for a bilateral meeting with President Biden, addressing Congress that evening with remarks that quoted none other than Churchill himself.
“We will fight till the end, at sea, in the air,” Zelenskyy said, echoing a speech Churchill gave in 1940. “We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.”
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE’s complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
What did King Charles say in his letter to Donald Trump?
By Amarachi Orie, CNN
3 minute read
Published 8:57 AM EST, Fri February 28, 2025
King Charles sends a letter to President Trump
01:56CNN —
The meeting between Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington on Thursday resulted in an “unprecedented” invitation to the US president from Britain’s King Charles III.
But what was actually in the letter that Starmer handed over?
Presenting Trump with the missive from the British monarch in the Oval Office, Starmer said it contained an invitation for an “unprecedented second state visit.”
Conservatives in Russia and the USA have hated the British-American alliance, even more than Hiter did. Beatlemania brought down the Iron Curtain and ended the Soviet Bloc. We Americans, We Democrats, must reach out across The Pond and form a new alliance with Britain. I know how Prince Harry can become the Csar and spoil Putin and Trump’s dream.
Armstrong’s prophecy has returned. Our Radio Church is the only valid church in America!
Sir Francis Drake may have landed on Oregon and named it New Albion. If I had become Governor of Oregon, I was going to offer Harry and Meghan a title….Lord and Lady Mountbatten. Harry’s grandmother grabbed the name Mountbatten to shore up the name Windsor for her German husband. Now King Charles is not going to give Harry, and his American wife – any titles! That king needs to get out of the block – and in the race! Meghan needs to be educated – on every level! I volunteer to be her teacher in the New Cyber Chess Game. Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt did not have time to establish The Rules. FDR died after the Hands across the Water Unity was completed.
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