Should we really be doing this?

Are you sure? Don't they just have to list expenditure?

Patel took down her adverts pretty swiftly but we do know she herself spent time in the Hillary Clinton campaign in 2016.

The rules about foreign nationals are quite clear here:

www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/foreign-nationals/

And here:
www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/volunteer-activity/

Which seems to me they can have expenses covered (I did say paying but meant ^picking up the costs^).

It’s not different at all. He was specifically there to support Trump’s election campaign, and said so. It wouldn’t matter if it was his brother, he would still be a UK MP supporting an election campaign in another country.

Exactly. Are his actions are being used to excuse or justify the LP members or are they saying that both are equally wrong?

If it's volunteering it's allowed (subject to the provisions I linked to above).

Mollygo

^It’s not different at all. He was specifically there to support Trump’s election campaign, and said so. It wouldn’t matter if it was his brother, he would still be a UK MP supporting an election campaign in another country.^

Exactly. Are his actions are being used to excuse or justify the LP members or are they saying that both are equally wrong?

Both are equally wrong in my opinion - the involvement of serving MPs in the elections of other countries should be against the law.

I thought there was only one MP. I Justcto clarify, I was referring to *all those LP members who are involved and the equal wrongness of their involvement and not just the MP. Your response doesn’t make that clear.

eazybee

Not a sensible thing to do and I would be furious if Americans turned up on my doorstep 'advising' me how to vote
Apparently Labour staff were emailed on August 2nd by Sofia Patel asking if any were willing to travel to the US to'help our friends across the pond to elect their first female president.'
Labour activists are asked to pay for their own travel and car hire but will be put up by Democrats. Staff intending to travel have to book annual leave.
I would have thought they had enough to do here.

This from eazybee sounds as though NO funding was given to the individual MPs who decided to go to the US

"Apparently Labour staff were emailed on August 2nd by Sofia Patel asking if any were willing to travel to the US to'help our friends across the pond to elect their first female president.'
Labour activists are asked to pay for their own travel and car hire but will be put up by Democrats. Staff intending to travel have to book annual leave."

What is your source for that, eazybee ?

Mollygo

I thought there was only one MP. I Justcto clarify, I was referring to *all those LP members who are involved and the equal wrongness of their involvement and not just the MP. Your response doesn’t make that clear.

My response makes it clear, particularly as I’ve already said several times on this thread that I think both were equally wrong. What more are you expecting exactly?

I think this answers most of the questions above. Re expenses/legal

I think (willing to be corrected) easybee got her information from the now deleted link-in post by the planner but it's in this summary.

A "fair enough"article as it mentions Farage and as well as the 100 volunteers from the L Party.

www.yahoo.com/news/uk-labour-party-efforts-help-190153038.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAJrWBNvPun05pjIUoShl9qZ5C7XiUuTrIvPA8OoK3kNm_YFSm93v6WQUiPF6uBP6K1rkBV__js4SZKiBAbG1rnSDAbsNcpfy2eIRM8R_TR5AQQ_1kfZvkhe4sNhmuoL0VG9QX4mKhZoomsDOA1onjRjLXZT-V6gQXzvEFPd7p-SE

AFAIK no L Party MP's are going its members and workers.

There was apparently an email on August 2nd from Patel asking if people wanted to volunteer - I read this in The Times today.

Witzend

If I found Americans canvassing for any political party before a general election of ours, I’d be livid. Let them stick to their own messy politics.
I seem to recall Barack Obama kindly telling us how we ought to vote in the Brexit referendum. IMO he should have minded his own business, too.

Didn’t he just point out that the trade we were going to lose from the EU would not necessarily be replaced with great trade deals with America. Which was the case.

Although this is being framed as some sort of 'meddling' with foreign elections, in my experience it is more about adding something to the CV. A lot of people interested in politics will go to other countries to get experience of their campaigns and political machinery. Of course most people want to help out the campaign that is nearer to their own politics.
I have certainly known volunteers to come over here, and hosted by sympathisers, and have known people go to lots of other countries.

The UK has far more experience of the electoral process than the USA. It should be the other way round, if anything.

labour has paid for one of starmer top aides, all others going have paid there own way but volunteers in the us are giving free accomodation, the only reason i knew was because one of my nephews sons has gone and the family all got together to pay for airfare and some spending money.

labour has paid for one of starmer top aides
Have they?
Who?

Or are you talking about the convention?

I did google this and its in the DM et al

but

it was a paid trip in the summer to the Democrat National Convention unrelated to the present visits and perfectly normal in terms of democrat-labour relations

DM
"Labour has admitted it paid for Sir Keir Starmer's top adviser to attend a top Democrat event in the summer, amid claims of presidential election interference by Donald Trump.

The party confirmed that it covered the costs for Morgan McSweeney to travel to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August, where Kamala Harris was confirmed as the party's candidate"

Its equally normal for Conservatives/Reform to go to the Republican Convention but of course this isnt mentioned!

Well I assumed this Wyllow3 as it's entirely normal for a representative to go to the conventions - but I read nexus63's post as though she had "inside" info

Easily mistaken with current reporting.

It’s equally normal for Conservatives/Reform to go to the Republican Convention but of course this isnt mentioned!
Well IMO it shouldn’t be right for anyone to go as a political representative, especially funded by party funds, some of which come from the taxpayers.
Saying he did it first or she could have done it too seems to be the current excuse for anything, rather than admitting it was or might be wrong.

I take your point about "tit for tat" Mollygo

but I was using it to show that its been normal practice to visit conventions for years.

Visits to Conventions as a political party come out of party funds.

But should it be normal practice for political party representatives?

Well, that's a big one Mollygo.

It's always been the practice, for example with European countries as well, to attend formal Conventions with like minded parties.

Vance took part in our Conservative Party convention this year as a virtual speaker in a session, as we know the Labour Party were visitors at the Democratic convention: at the time I cant recall the media objecting to this "usual practice"

That’s OK. IMO now would be a good time to look at whether it’s a good idea for political representatives to do that.
usual practice doesn’t mean it’s right, but if it is right because the media don’t object to it . . .

Media machinations aside, I think as long as its visiting speakers and information/idea swapping I feel it's a good idea not to cut off international relationships in our ever more global world.

I agree.
Let's learn from each other.

Our local Lib Dem has gone to America to help with Kamala's campaign. Apparently it's his holiday and he does it every time to help Democrats.
It's not just Labour staff going.