Artist Stanley Chow has hit out at the Conservatives after his cartoon of Andy Burnham appeared on freebies handed out at the party conference. The goodie bag given to journalists included a bottle of water branded 'Bottler Burnham' and a small tub of sweets named 'Andy Panders' People Pleaser Pick N Mix, both featuring an image of the prime minister reminiscent of Chow's artwork.
Artist considers legal action
Chow, who has used the cartoon for Burnham's profile picture on X and in his Makerfield by-election campaign this summer, posted on Instagram that he could take legal action. He wrote: 'It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party… Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it's still copyright infringement… I'll be seeking legal advice.'
He later told the Manchester Evening News: 'They have not taken my IP rights into consideration, and have just done that. The Labour Party could have owned that image, they could have infringed the Labour Party's copyright. But the fact is, I licensed it to the Labour Party and it was okay for them to use.'
Previous infringement by Reform UK
Chow noted he had previously taken legal action against Reform UK over their use of the cartoon. The party had posted an AI-generated picture showing asylum seekers holding 'Vote Andy, For Us' signs with his illustration. Reform later said it was removing the posts 'in good faith and without any admission of liability'.
The Conservative Party Conference began on Sunday with a speech from leader Kemi Badenoch. Other items in the media goodie bag included an invitation to the 'Birmingham Tapestry' – an 80-foot parody of the Bayeux Tapestry depicting events since the 2024 election – and a brown envelope containing chocolate 'Bitcoin' addressed to Nigel Farage.
