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Angela Rayner has said that Labour staff campaigning in the United States do so “in their own time”, after Donald Trump’s campaign accused Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party of interfering in the US election.
Filing a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission (FEC) which accuses Labour of illegal foreign campaign donations, the campaign’s co-manager Susie Wiles claimed: “The far-left Labour Party has inspired Kamala’s dangerously liberal policies and rhetoric.
“In recent weeks, they have recruited and sent party members to campaign for Kamala in critical battleground states, attempting to influence our election.”
The claims follow reports of senior Labour officials meeting with Kamala Harris’ campaign, and Labour Party staffers volunteering on the ground for her campaign.
Asked about the row as she deputised for the prime minister at PMQs on Wednesday, Ms Rayner said: “People in their own time often go and campaign. And that is what we have seen. It happens in all political parties.”
She added: “People go and campaign, and do what they want to do in their own time with their own money.”
Elon Musk declares war on Labour-linked campaign group
Elon Musk has declared war on a campaign group founded by Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, accusing the Center for Countering Digital Hate of violating rules “against foreign interference in elections”.
The tech billionaire his team were “going after CCDH and their donors” after a report from the Disinformation Chronicle newsletter, which claimed to have uncovered a strategy document from the group which included a plan to “Kill Musk’s Twitter”.
The report also claims the CCDH sought out meetings with Democratic senators in an attempt to lobby against Mr Musk’s ownership of X.
The CCDH was founded by Morgan McSweeney, who was appointed as Sir Keir’s chief of staff after Sue Gray stepped down earlier this month, however he has not been involved since 2020.
Households face drinking water shortage by the mid-2030s, minister warns
The UK risks suffering a shortage of drinking water by the mid-2030s, a Labour cabinet minister has warned.
Environment secretary Steve Reed said without investment in the country’s creaking infrastructure, the system could run into crisis.
His warning came as it emerged that water companies want to raise bills by 84 per cent by 2030. Mr Reed described the proposed price hikes as “eye-watering” – but said the issue was not one for ministers.
He told LBC Radio: “We’re all facing a shortage of water within a decade and a half if we don’t act now.”
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
Watch: Oliver Dowden asks Angela Rayner for her definition of working class
Cleverly asks for armed police to be able to use training in trial defences
Tory MP James Cleverly has argued that firearms officers should be able to use their training in the role as part of their defence in criminal proceedings.
In the Commons, the shadow home secretary said he “agreed with almost all” of the proposals put forward by the government, adding: “As a society, we demand that our firearms officers put themselves in dangerous and difficult situations to protect others. Every firearms officer in the UK is a volunteer.”
“I have seen first hand just how rigorous that firearms training regime is, not just in marksmanship, but also in the use of judgement, split-second life or death decisions have to be made, often in circumstances where the risk picture is incomplete, and often in circumstances where the cost of not acting is considerably more severe than the cost of acting,” he said.
He added: “I would ask [Ms Cooper] to seriously consider that training in these roles forms a legitimate part of the defence of officers, if and when criminal prosecutions are brought forward.”
Labour peer at centre of Starmer donations scandal found to have breached Lords rules
Labour peer Waheed Alli has been found to have committed four breaches of Lords rules over his declarations in the register of interests.
The prominent donor, who gave thousands of pounds worth of clothes and gifts to Sir Keir Starmer and his wife, has apologised after being instructed to by the Lords commissioner for standards.
Lord Alli faced an investigation over his alleged failure to register his interests as a director of charity The Charlie Parsons Foundation and the company Silvergate BP Bidco, of which he owns more than half.
Lords standards commissioner Martin Jelley also investigated Lord Alli’s late registration of his interest as an unpaid director of another company, MAC (BVI).
“While I consider each individual breach of the Code to be minor, I have found there to be four breaches in total, and have therefore recommended that Lord Alli write a letter of apology to the chair of the conduct committee, Baroness Manningham-Buller,” a report by Mr Jelley said.
Our political correspondent Archie Mitchell has more in this report:
Labour to introduce presumption of dismissal for police officers who commit certain offences
Police officers found guilty of particular criminal offences will be automatically found to have committed gross misconduct and have a “presumption of dismissal”, the home secretary has said.
Yvette Cooper told the Commons: “We will therefore take forward in this parliamentary session, from previously agreed proposals, to ensure that officers convicted of certain criminal offences are automatically found to have committed gross misconduct and create a presumption of dismissal.
“Where gross misconduct is found we will change regulations to enable chief constables to promptly dismiss officers who fail their vetting, which has been a glaring gap in the system for too long.”
She added that officers will be suspended if they are under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual offences.
Ms Cooper said: “We will ensure statutory underpinning for national vetting standards and strengthen requirements relating to the suspension of officers under investigation for domestic abuse or sexual offences.”
Home secretary unveils plans for presumption of anonymity for armed police in criminal trials
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has unveiled a “presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial”.
Sergeant Martyn Blake was cleared of murder this week after the death of Chris Kaba in Lambeth in 2022.
Ms Cooper told the Commons: “When officers act in the most dangerous situations on behalf of the state it is vital that those officers and their families are not put in further danger during any subsequent legal proceedings.
“So we will therefore introduce a presumption of anonymity for firearms officers subject to criminal trial following a police shooting in the course of their professional duties, up to the point of conviction.”
UK’s special relationship with US will always endure, No 10 says
The UK’s special relationship with the US has endured with “leaders of all political stripes” and always will, the Sir Keir Starmer’s spokesperson has said after Donald Trump’s presidential campaign claimed the Labour Party was interfering in the US election.
“We’ve always been steadfast allies and we will work with whoever the American people choose to be their president,” the spokesperson said.
She referred to Sir Keir Starmer’s meeting with Mr Trump in September and said they discussed the importance of continuing to develop the “strong and enduring partnership” between the US and UK.
“It is a special relationship which has endured for over a century with leaders of all political stripes, and that will always be the case.”
Labour pressed to bring in smacking ban
A shadow communities minister has pressed Angela Rayner for legislation banning smacking so children can “enjoy unambiguous protection in law against violence”.
Conservative MP David Simmonds told the Commons: “Our child protection services have had to deal with a number of cases where parents and carers have argued that their fatal actions were lawful punishment.
“So I’d like to ask the deputy prime minister, will she bring forward legislation bringing the rest of our country into line with Scotland and Wales so that all children enjoy unambiguous protection in law against violence?”
Angela Rayner replied: “I think it’s a very important point that [Mr Simmonds] raises and I’ll make sure that the minister has a meeting with him, but the first job of any government is to protect the citizens, and that includes our children.
“And we’ll make sure we work across the House to deliver that.”
