Labour is foolish and unwise to campaign in the US election - even if it is within the rules, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

The Trump campaign has accused the Labour Party and Kamala Harris of foreign interference in the US election, after 100 Labour activists helped to campaign for Harris.

Now the Labour Party has, of course, denied any wrongdoing and the Prime Minister has said Labour activists are well within their rights to go and campaign in America.

But he also boldly claimed that this episode had not harmed his relationship with Donald Trump.

However, this is not a matter of rules, which is all Starmer seems to understand. It's about appearances. The governing party should never have any involvement in foreign elections as it jeopardises diplomatic relationships.

This has inevitably harmed his relationship with Trump. Indeed, the Republicans application, the Federal Election Committee referred to the Labour Party as far left, and Starmer, pretending it made no difference is bogus.

Remember that in the US 1992 election, it emerged that Conservative Party staff had been working for the George Bush campaign.

Sir John Major was still recovering from the UK's collapse after the exchange rate mechanism of the European Monetary System. At the time, Clinton was not a well known candidate and wasn't particularly expected to win, so the move could have been seen as innocuous.

But there's no doubt it caused a rift between Major and Clinton, and it gave a strong impression that the Conservative Party was obstructing the Democrat campaign.

The special relationship only truly healed once Blair was elected, and Blair, to his credit, managed to get on with American presidents of a very different political colour, both Clinton and Bush junior.

And now is a time in the world when we need a particularly strong special relationship.

The Trump presidency is quite likely. We need to get on with him. One of the opportunities of leaving the European Union is we get a trade deal with the states.

Democrats didn't want to do that, but Trump might be. And this is made less likely if we upset Trump.

But the fundamental point is when you are the governing party, the governing party, it is foolish, even if it's within the rules to campaign in foreign elections.

It's a bit like accepting tens of thousands of pounds worth of freebies. It may be allowed, but it isn't wise.