Donald Trump and Elon Musk have been accused of launching a “phoney war” on Sir Keir Starmer and Labour as an attention-grabbing exercise as the former president struggles in his bid to return to the White House.
Former Labour ministers are among the critics of the tech billionaire and ex-president, who appear to be laying the groundwork for a claim of cheating in the election if Mr Trump loses on 5 November. But even sources close to the Trump camp have told The Independent the claims of interference being made against Labour are “not being taken seriously at all”, and they have warned it will lead to questions about Nigel Farage’s role as a Trump campaign cheerleader.
The row broke out as Mr Musk declared war on a campaign group linked to the heart of Sir Keir’s government. The tech billionaire accused the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), founded by Sir Keir’s chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, of “violating US criminal statutes against foreign interference in elections”.
Mr Musk said he and his team are “going after” the CCDH and their donors after a report from the Disinformation Chronicle newsletter claimed to have uncovered a strategy document from the group which included a plan to “Kill Musk’s Twitter”.
Mr Musk’s remarks come hours after the Trump-Vance camp filed a legal complaint accusing the Labour Party of illegal foreign campaign donations after it emerged that scores of party activists had flown across the Atlantic to help the Kamala Harris operation ahead of the presidential election next month. But the double attack has been blasted on both sides of the Atlantic.
Denne historien er fra October 24, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra October 24, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
South Africa find a spring in their step to dominate game
A captivating year saw lots of storylines including a thrilling sevens tournaments at the Paris Olympics, Antoine Dupont magic and a Springboks double, writes Harry Latham-Coyle
Lords of the ring walk
Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk created history this year
Basque in the glow: Iraola the best-kept secret lifting Cherries to new heights.
A 42-year-old Spanish head coach from the Basque region making waves and earning admirers in the Premier League isn’t a unique position.
Even cold hard cash isn't enough for this spent force
Pep Guardiola has witnessed his empire start to fall as ‘forever football’ takes its toll, writes Miguel Delaney
The babies from the Boxing Day tsunami - 20 years on
The 2004 disaster left thousands without parents. Former travel agent Lynn Stanier explains how after volunteering she vowed to never stop helping the kids she met in Sri Lanka
Hundreds of Humvees left by US forces in Afghanistan
American and Nato troops abandoned military equipment worth more than $7.2bn, much of which is now in a state of disrepair in the Taliban’s hands, as Arpan Rai reports
The family who see saving Gaza's animals as 'our duty'
A heroic family-run animal sanctuary has defied the odds by working around the clock” to save hundreds of animals suffering in Gaza during a year of intense Israeli bombardment.
Nearly 40 dead as plane crashes in Kazakhstan
Children among 29 survivors of Russian-bound flight
Man arrested for attempted murder after four hit by car
A man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after four pedestrians were hit by a car in London’s West End in the early hours of Christmas Day.
Britain's lost Atlantis: Stone Age artefacts on the seabed
Discovery reveals more on prehistoric land under North Sea