Tension builds as UK Labour Party accused of U.S. election "interference"

Starmer said Labour Party members going to the United States to campaign for Harris were volunteers "doing it in their spare time."

LONDON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Tension is building after Donald Trump's campaign filed a complaint against the ruling Labour Party of the United Kingdom (UK) for foreign interference in the U.S. presidential election. However, the Labour Party has downplayed the accusations.

The Trump campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission in Washington on Monday, seeking an immediate investigation into alleged "blatant foreign interference."

The complaint stated that the Labour Party had offered to send 100 current and former Labour Party staff members to battleground states including Pennsylvania and North Carolina, to campaign for Trump's Democrat rival Vice President Kamala Harris in a bid to influence the Nov. 5 election.

"The Harris campaign's acceptance and use of this illegal foreign assistance is just another feeble attempt in a long line of anti-American election interference," Susie Wiles, co-manager of the Trump campaign, said on Tuesday following the complaint.

In response, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to downplay the row, insisting that he has a "good relationship" with the former U.S. president that would not be jeopardized by the complaint.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday as he traveled to Samoa for the annual Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Starmer said Labour Party members going to the United States to campaign for Harris were volunteers "doing it in their spare time."

"The Labour Party has volunteers, who have gone over pretty much every election," he said.

"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," he added.

The prime minister said the row would not jeopardize his relationship with Trump should the Republican candidate win the election, as they had "established a good relationship" when the two dined at Trump Tower together last month.

The Labour Party issued a statement on Wednesday: "It is common practice for campaigners of all political persuasions from around the world to volunteer in US elections."

"Where Labour activists take part, they do so at their own expense, in accordance with the laws and rules," the statement added.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey suggested that the Trump campaign was "creating controversy" as the US presidential election reaches its final stretch.

Meanwhile, Sky News said that Trump could be using Labour-Democrat cooperation to attack Harris.

"I think the view in London is that this is a useful tool for him to make a noise about Kamala Harris being left-wing," the news channel said.

The latest election forecast by London-based weekly newspaper the Economist revealed on Monday that for the first time in two months, Trump has overtaken Harris, giving him a 54 in 100 chance of winning, and Harris just a 45 in 100 chance. This is a reversal of its forecast on Oct. 17.