Elon Musk has joined Republicans in their outrage after the UK’s Labour Party is set to send 100 staff to help Democrats in swing states.
Activists from Keir Starmer‘s party will spend the next fortnight canvassing for Kamala Harris in four key states ahead of the November 5 election.
They will target Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Virginia, which are all seen as crucial locations to win if Harris is to become the next president.
Republicans expressed their ‘outrage’ at the plans on Thursday and warned they would damage the UK’s relationship with the US should Donald Trump emerge victorious.
Tech mogul Elon Musk responded to the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, saying the move ‘is illegal’.
But his reply was quickly met with a humiliating community note stating that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) explicitly permits foreign nationals to serve as campaign volunteers.
The FEC, which regulates US elections, states that foreign volunteers are not allowed to donate money to campaigns or spend money on their behalf, nor can they ‘participate in the decision-making process’ but they may, however, participate in activities as an ‘uncompensated volunteer’.
Labour’s head of operations, Sofia Patel, wrote in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday: ‘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 10 spots available for anyone available to head to the battleground state of [North] Carolina – we will sort your housing.’
Staff were also sent an email on August 2 where they were asked if anyone would be willing to travel to the US to ‘help our friends across the pond elect their first female president’.
The email, sent by Ms Patel, added: ‘Let’s show those Yanks how to win elections!’
It comes after Musk was shunned from the UK government’s International Investment Summit last month.
He was not invited due to his social media posts during August’s riots, the BBC claimed.
‘I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts,’ Musk claimed on X.
The Tesla chief executive and owner also came under fire in August for saying ‘civil war is inevitable’ in response to a post blaming the violent demonstrations on the effects of ‘mass migration and open borders.’
A spokesperson for Keir Starmer quickly addressed Musk’s comment, telling reporters ‘there’s no justification for that.’
Earlier this month, a former Tory Cabinet minister, Robert Buckland, was sent to the US to campaign for Democratic candidates.
He said he hopes Kamala Harris wins the November presidential election so the UK has a ‘stable ally and world power at a time when it is needed desperately’.
The former Conservative MP wrote for The House: ‘It is my hope that the US avoids the chaos and uncertainty of a second Trump term.
‘Like many Conservatives who traditionally identify with the GOP [Republican Party] in the traditions of Eisenhower and Reagan for example, supporting Trump flies in the face of those beliefs.’
Buckland added: ‘The fact that former Vice President Dick Cheney is voting Harris speaks volumes for the state of things.’
It comes as former aide to Trump, Sebastian Gorka, who was born in the UK, said Wednesday that Labour officials campaigning for a Harris victory would be a ‘bloody outrage’.
He even compared the situation to Barack Obama suggesting that the UK would be ‘at the back of the queue’ for a trade deal if it voted for Brexit.
‘It’s complete interference in American politics and an incredible show of desperation that, not only would this come up as an idea, but that this would be permitted or encouraged by the Kamala campaign,’ he said.
‘I think the real extent of the damage will be clear after if, God willing, the America First team wins and president Trump is victorious in November.
‘The UK has a very special place in president Trump’s heart, but why on earth would Labour be doing this in America three weeks before the presidential election?
‘What would Starmer think if president Trump sent a team to campaign against him in the UK?’
In response to the post on X, the Republican senator of Arkansas, Tom Cotton, said it was ‘yet another reason to vote for president Trump’.
Liz Truss, the former UK prime minister, also shared the post, adding: ‘President Trump is definitely going to win now’.
