UK Government Pulled Into US Election Scandal — Political Plot or Publicity Stunt?

Key Takeaways

• Trump supporters, including Elon Musk, have scrutinized the U.K. Labour Party’s alleged involvement in U.S. elections.
• Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), a Labour-associated group, is at the heart of a plot to cut off X’s advertising revenues.
• Meanwhile, Trump wants the Federal Election Commission to investigate Labour volunteers’ support for the Harris campaign.

Elon Musk has accused the U.K. government of foreign interference, claiming that groups linked to the U.K.’s Labour Party are behind a plot to undermine Musk’s platform, X.

This controversy has escalated tensions between Labour and the Trump campaign.

However, party insiders suggest that Trump and Musk’s claims of political interference are largely a publicity stunt.

‘Kill Musk’s Twitter’ Plot Explained

The latest controversy to embroil the Labour Party was catalyzed when journalists leaked internal documents from the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) on Tuesday, Oct. 22.

Corollary reporting by journalists Matt Taibbi and Paul Thacker reveals how CCDH emerged from Labour Together, a neoliberal think tank that helped Keir Starmer’s centrist wing gain control of the Labour Party in 2020.

As documented by Taibbi and Thacker, CCDH played a key role in efforts to oust former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. The organization targeted pro-Corbyn news outlets like The Canary, allegedly running a coordinated smear campaign to depict the publication as antisemitic and cut off its advertising revenues.

According to Taibbi and Thacker, after successfully orchestrating The Canary’s downfall, CCDH sought to use the same tactics to bring down X. 

In tandem with Media Matters for America, a Democrat-aligned media watchdog that has become embroiled in a protracted legal battle with Musk, CCDH has promoted a narrative that X is overrun with hateful content and disinformation. 

The campaign allegedly involves a host of liberal groups, high-ranking Democrats, and State Department officials who have coordinated to pressure advertisers to withdraw from X.

Donald Trump vs. The Labour Party

The recent controversy around CCDH comes as Donald Trump has accused the Labour Party of illegally meddling in U.S. elections.

In a letter to the Federal Election Commission, Trump’s lawyers requested an investigation into “blatant foreign interference,” arguing that the Harris campaign’s close collaboration with top Labour advisors violates election law. 

While foreign nationals can volunteer for U.S. political parties, they are prohibited from making campaign donations. However, direct financial contributions, such as funding volunteers’ travel, can be more complicated. 

Controversy Over Travel Expenses

According to the Trump campaign’s letter, payments made to support Labour volunteers’ travel expenses could amount to “illegal foreign national contributions” under U.S. law.

However, responding to the claims of impropriety, former Labour minister Ben Bradshaw called Trump’s complaint “a political stunt ,” suggesting that nothing untoward had occurred.

Meanwhile, in comments to The Independent, former international development minister Lord George Foulkes described it as “a phoney war”.

Moreover, as Foulkes pointed out, the Trump campaign is subject to similar accusations regarding MP Nigel Farage’s trip to the U.S.

During the Republican National Convention, Farage received £33,000 from the British businessman Christopher Harborne to fund a visit in which he campaigned for Donald Trump.