An artist is seeking legal advice after alleging the Conservative Party used his cartoon image of Andy Burnham without authorization. The image appeared on water bottles handed out at the party's conference in Birmingham, labeled "Bottler Burnham" and "0% strength."
Stanley Chow, a Manchester illustrator and Labour supporter, created the portrait for Burnham's 2021 mayoral campaign in Greater Manchester. He stated that the Conservative Party did not request permission to use the artwork.
A spokeswoman for the Conservative Party said the bottles were not for sale and were included in "goody bags" distributed to attending media. Chow expressed his dismay, calling the party's actions "childish" and a potential infringement of copyright. "I'm very disappointed. It's frustrating that an institution like the Conservative Party has no idea that they are infringing copyright," Chow said.
Chow also noted that Reform UK had previously used his copyrighted image in AI-generated social media posts several months prior. A spokesperson for Reform UK at the time stated that the posts were removed "in good faith and without any admission of liability on our part."