Sir Keir Starmer’s new chief of staff Morgan McSweeney was at the centre of a growing row on Thursday over claims by Donald Trump’s campaign that Labour sought to interfere in the US presidential election.
Cabinet ministers strongly reject the allegations made by the Trump camp that the “Far-Left Labour Party” in the UK was wading into the US election.
But the political furore showed no sign of dying down, with the Prime Minister facing questions over it while at a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Samoa.
The row came as the US presidential race was getting even more tense, with Kamala Harris claiming Trump is a “fascist”.
Mr McSweeney, who replaced Sue Gray as Sir Keir’s chief-of-staff after internal battles within No10, is at the centre of the US-UK flare-up as he was one of several senior Labour figures who attended the Democratic National Covention in Chicago, Illinois, in August.
The Labour Party is understood to have paid for Mr McSweeney to attend the convention.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was quizzed on the row when she appeared on the media round for the Government on Thursday, being asked on Times Radio if anyone from the Labour Party had received any kind of payment or compensation in kind for campaigning for the Harris campaign or for passing on advice.
She responded: “Not that I’m aware. I mean, I haven’t spoken to every single member, card-carrying member of the Labour Party, but certainly if the question is around whether senior members of the government have been paid to advise or campaign for the Harris campaign, no, that’s not the case.”
She added: “Morgan McSweeney was over in the United States for the Democratic National Convention. He has been actually in many, many countries over the course of the last few years talking to our sister parties about the challenges of opposition, about the challenges of government.
“I think it’s good that we do that...There’s no suggestion, I think, that that is improper. That’s what all political parties do.”
There is no evidence of wrongdoing by Mr McSweeney.
Ms Nandy insisted that he and other senior Labour figures had not given advice to the Kamala campaign.
However, being paid by the Labour Party to attend the Democratic convention throws up questions, after ministers have previously been insisting that Labour activists were volunteering for the Harris campaign as individuals not as party members.
A statement on Mr Trump’s website, DonaldJTrump.com on Tuesday night announced an official complaint had been filed with US federal election officials, and claimed the “Labour Party had “made, and the Harris campaign has accepted, illegal foreign national contributions”.
One of the piece of alleged evidence being cited is a social post by Sofia Patel, Head of Operations at the Labour Party, which has since been taken down.
It stated: “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...Email me on....if you’re interested. Thanks!”
Activists from political parties often travel to other countries to help sister parties, with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage being a prominent supporter of Trump.
The Republican candidate’s complaint will also be seen in the light of his attempts to portray Ms Harris as very much on the Left and liberal spectrum of US politics.
However, it is still embarrassing for the Prime Minister and the Labour Party, with MPs hoping that Mr McSweeney’s appointment as chief-of-staff would have ended the series of controversies including the storm over freebies accepted by Sir Keir and other Cabinet ministers, such as Taylor Swift tickets.
Sir Keir is unlikely to meet Ms Harris before Americans go to the polls.
The Prime Minister met Trump when he was in New York in September, and at the time said he wanted to meet both presidential candidates.
But as both campaigns enter the final week ahead of the November 5 poll, and Sir Keir is in Samoa for a Commonwealth summit, it has been accepted the window of opportunity for such a meeting is closing.
Sir Keir has stressed: “Of course as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, I will work with whoever the American people return as their president in the elections that are very close now.”
