Political conferences in Britain frequently run on calculated mockery, turning opponents into slogans and cheap conference souvenirs. Stanley Chow, the Manchester illustrator recognised worldwide for his geometric portraits, found his work printed on merchandise handed out inside the Conservative Party gathering in Birmingham.
Conference organisers distributed reusable water bottles branded with Chow’s portrait of Andy Burnham, the Labour politician and former Mayor of Greater Manchester. The bottles paired Chow’s graphic with the derogatory lines “Bottler Burnham” and “0% strength.”
Chow learned of the giveaway on 4 October 2026 and posted an immediate public objection on Instagram.
“It seems like @conservatives have been using my artwork without my permission at their conference party,” Chow wrote. “Regardless of whatever your political allegiances are, it’s still copyright infringement… I’ll be seeking legal advice.”
The illustrator expressed dismay that a major political organisation failed to complete basic copyright checks before manufacturing merchandise.
“It’s really annoying,” Chow said. “It’s more annoying because it’s the Tory Party. They are an institution and they should know better really. They have not taken my IP rights into consideration.”
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Licensing Versus Political Misappropriation
Chow explained that legitimate publishers and political campaigns acquire rights through formal licensing agreements. He created the original image for official use by the Labour Party during Burnham’s electoral run.
“The fact is I licensed it to the Labour Party and it was okay for them to use,” Chow noted. “The Manchester Evening News licensed it off me before when I did a cover, and a few other magazines have licenced it off me as well, they have legitimately used my image, they have paid me. And then we have the Tory party doing what they did.”
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The dispute marks the second time in recent months that a rival political faction has appropriated Chow’s portrait. Reform UK previously used the Burnham image on social media posts regarding Channel boat crossings, prompting Chow to retain counsel before Nigel Farage deleted the material.
At the time, a Reform UK spokesperson claimed the post constituted “fair use” while confirming the party removed the image without admitting liability.
Chow pointed out that the Conservatives showed equal carelessness with intellectual property. “They should have known and done their due diligence really before stealing someone’s image and using it for something as childish as what they have done,” he said. “I’m going to take legal advice and see what they say, and we will go from there basically.”
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Standing Up for Freelance Illustrators
Chow stressed that pursuing the matter in court serves a wider community of independent artists who lack the resources to defend their rights against well-funded organisations.
“You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” Chow said. “I want to protect the community of illustrators by doing this. A lot of people don’t know where to go when people steal their artwork or use their artwork for other means without payment. Some artists are too scared to come for the people who’ve done it, they don’t know where to go. Going to find a lawyer is expensive.”
He concluded with a direct assessment of the situation: “It’s a case of calling the Tory party out. It’s shameful really. It’s making people aware that what they’ve done is wrong.”
Chow continues consulting intellectual property solicitors to determine the next legal steps.
