Artist calls in lawyers after Tories use his Burnham portrait without consent
Manchester-based illustrator Stanley Chow is considering legal action after the Conservative party used his cartoon of Prime Minister Andy Burnham on water bottles without permission. The artwork, originally created for a Labour campaign, was displayed at the Conservative conference in Birmingham with the slogan 'Bottler Burnham.' Chow's lawyer describes the unauthorized use as a clear case of copyright infringement, and the artist has requested an apology from the party.
- ▪Stanley Chow, a New Yorker magazine illustrator, created the cartoon of Andy Burnham for the Makerfield byelection campaign in June.
- ▪The Conservative party distributed water bottles featuring Chow's artwork and the slogan 'Bottler Burnham' to journalists at their conference in Birmingham.
- ▪Chow stated that the Conservatives did not seek permission for the use of his image and has since requested an explanation and apology.
- ▪Legal counsel for Chow asserts that the unauthorized use constitutes copyright infringement and entitles the artist to compensation and a public apology.
- ▪Reform UK also used Chow's cartoon in a social media attack ad, which the artist does not endorse due to its anti-immigration messaging.
2 outlets in our directory ran this story. All of the coverage we found sits in one bucket: centre. That one-sidedness is itself worth noticing.
- ▪ Artist 'taking legal advice' over Tories' use of Andy Burnham portrait — BBC News — Politics
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| Canonical URL | https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/oct/05/artist-cartoon-conservatives-use-his-burnham-portrait |
| Publication time | Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:56:16 GMT |
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The bottles mocking Andy Burnham – and using Stanley Chow’s cartoon – were on view at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesView image in fullscreenThe bottles mocking Andy Burnham – and using Stanley Chow’s cartoon – were on view at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. Photograph: Christopher Furlong/Getty ImagesConservative conference 2026Artist calls in lawyers after Tories use his Burnham portrait without consentStanley Chow’s cartoon was put on water bottles at party conference with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’Helena HortonMon 5 Oct 2026 09.56 EDTLast modified on Mon 5 Oct 2026 10.01 EDTSharePrefer the Guardian on GoogleAn artist is considering legal action after the Conservative party used his cartoon to mock Andy…
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