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Artist Stanley Chow is seeking legal advice after accusing the Conservative Party of using his copyrighted cartoon portrait of Labour leader Andy Burnham at their conference in Birmingham without permission. The bottles, labeled "Bottler Burnham," were distributed to media attendees rather than sold. Chow also claims Reform UK used his image for a social media campaign earlier and notes that artists are increasingly vulnerable due to AI technology and the cost of living.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham, attendees received water bottles labeled "0% strength" with the nickname "Bottler Burnham," mocking former Labour leader Andy Burnham. The image featured on these bottles was originally created by Manchester-based illustrator Stanley Chow for Burnham's 2021 mayoral campaign. Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader, criticized the use of the cartoon, alleging copyright infringement. Chow confirmed he did not give permission to the Tories and stated he would seek legal advice over their unauthorized use of his artwork. The artist also accused Reform UK of similar copyright violation earlier this year. A Conservative Party spokesperson claimed the bottles were not for sale but merely distributed as conference giveaways.
Written for “Tories Use Art Without Consent” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 2 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 57483: attributed speech only · logged 2026-10-05
- Published
An artist has said he is taking legal advice after accusing the Conservative Party of copying his cartoon image of Andy Burnham at their party conference.
asserted
he → publish → conference
People attending the party's conference in Birmingham have been handed water bottles featuring the image and labelled "Bottler Burnham", "0% strength".
asserted
People → attend → image
Labour supporter Stanley Chow, who created the portrait for Burnham's 2021 mayoral campaign in Greater Manchester, has claimed the party did not ask for permission to use the image.
asserted
party → create → image
A Conservative Party spokeswoman said the bottles were were not on sale and merely handed out to attending media in "goody bags".
asserted
bottles → say → bags
Manchester illustrator Chow said: "I was stunned and angry when I saw what they had done.
asserted
they → say → what
I am taking legal advice.
"
asserted
I → take → advice
It's frustrating that an institution like the Conservative Party has no idea that they are infringing copyright."
asserted
they → have → copyright
The artist claimed Reform UK had also infringed his copyright by using the image a few months ago in AI-generated social media campaign posts.
asserted
UK → claim → posts
A Reform UK spokesman said at the time that it had "removed the posts in good faith and without any admission of liability on our part".
asserted
it → say → part
Chow continued: "I can't quite believe the Tories are resorting to this too.
"
asserted
Tories → continue → this
Regardless of your political allegiance, what the Tories have done is still copyright infringement.
asserted
done → do → what
"Ultimately, I want to raise awareness that you can't just take someone else's artwork and do what you want with it.
asserted
you → want → it
"I want to show other artists that when this does happen, you can make a stand, especially in this day and age where artists are struggling, because of AI and the cost of living."
asserted
artists → want → living
Manchester United fan Chow is best known as a football illustrator and has drawn Wayne Rooney, Edgar Davids and Ronaldinho.
asserted
Chow → know → Rooney
He has also drawn Eric Cantona and presented a picture of Sir Alex Ferguson to to the former manager.
asserted
He → draw → manager
You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
asserted
You → send → 2230
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