Rachel Reeves says Donald Trump visit is 'in national interest'
The US president will be meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney at some stage during his visit, which has been described as "private" by the White House.
Trump will visiting both his golf courses at Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire while he is in Scotland.
Despite a poll a few months ago showing Scots dislike Trump more than the rest of the UK, Reeves has insisted his visit to the country will have a "tangible benefit" for Scotland.
READ MORE: When is Donald Trump landing in Scotland? All the details
'It's in Britain's national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, but actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal,' she said.
'That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.'
Reeves dodged a question relating to senior ministers – including Health Secretary Wes Streeting, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Scottish Secretary Ian Murray – supporting a motion when in opposition in 2019 calling for the president's first state visit to be cancelled and accusing him of 'misogynism, racism and xenophobia'.
His presence is likely to spark protests across the country, with Police Scotland being forced to request aid from other forces to help increase manpower for the trip.
In a carefully worded statement ahead of the visit, Swinney said the focus it will bring to Scotland will allow people to have their voice heard on issues including 'war and peace, justice and democracy'.
Swinney added: 'As First Minister it is my responsibility to advance our interests, raise global and humanitarian issues of significant importance, including the unimaginable suffering we are witnessing in Gaza, and ensure Scotland's voice is heard at the highest levels of government across the world.
'That is exactly what I will do when I meet with President Trump during his time in Scotland.'
READ MORE: Donald Trump's family plane lands at Prestwick Airport
The First Minister said Scotland is a 'proud democratic nation' that 'stands firm on the principles of equality and freedom for all, and a society that stands up for a fair and just world'.
He also urged those seeking to protest to do so peacefully.
'I am confident the vast majority of people protesting will do Scotland proud and demonstrate as they should – peacefully and lawfully,' Mr Swinney said.
'I am also confident that Scotland's police service can handle the challenge of keeping all our communities safe and, as they must, in maintaining the appropriate security any US president requires.
'This weekend is a landmark moment in our relationship with the United States, and I am certain it will be remembered for Scotland showing the world the very best of itself.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Sir Keir Starmer calls for police to be 'as transparent as possible' over ethnicity of sex offence suspects: PM forced to step in as Nigel Farage leads fury over 'cover-up of alleged attack on girl, 1
Sir Keir Starmer has called for the police to be as 'transparent as possible' about the ethnicity of suspected sex offenders. The Prime Minister was forced to respond on Monday after Nigel Farage's demanded that police disclose the backgrounds of those charged with rape and sexual assault. It comes after the Mail on Sunday revealed that two Afghan asylum seekers have been charged in connection with the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. In a press conference on Monday, the Reform UK leader accused police of a 'cover-up' for failing to divulge the ethnicity or immigration status of the two men. He warned that it was 'reminiscent' of speculation about the background of the Southport killer last year which triggered a wave of conspiracy theories and riots last summer. Appearing alongside him, the 19-year-old Reform leader of Warwickshire County Council said he had 'begged' the police force to release details of the men's backgrounds. George Finch claimed he had been told he could not release information about the men's background himself 'due to this phrase 'community cohesion'.' Mr Farage's intervention prompted Downing Street to tell the police to be as 'transparent as possible' when it came to revealing the ethnicity of people charged with offences. Sir Keir Starmer (pictured) has called for the police to be as 'transparent as possible' about the ethnicity of suspected sex offenders. The Prime Minister's spokesman said the Government had 'always said, and continues to say, that transparency is important' The Prime Minister was forced to respond on Monday after Nigel Farage's demanded that police disclose the backgrounds of those charged with rape and sexual assault. In a press conference on Monday, the Reform UK leader accused police of a 'cover-up' The Prime Minister's spokesman said the Government had 'always said, and continues to say, that transparency is important'. He said the case in Nuneaton was 'clearly a deeply upsetting and distressing case, which the public are right to feel shocked and angry about.' 'Our position is that all authorities, from the police up to central government, should be as transparent as possible when handling these cases,' he added. Mr Farage said on Monday that it was 'absolutely disgraceful' that the police had not informed the public that the men were Afghan asylum seekers. Ahmad Mulakhil, 23, was charged with rape and Mohammad Kabir, also 23, was charged with aiding and abetting an assault, as well as strangulation and kidnapping. The Reform leader said that the backgrounds of suspects charged with sexual assault and rape should be shared with the public. 'Our position is that all authorities, from the police up to central government, should be as transparent as possible when handling these cases,' he said. 'Given there's a pretty febrile atmosphere... particularly [around] sexual assaults and rapes, where the temperature on this debate has risen significantly... I do believe they should [disclose suspects' ethnicities].' Mr Farage said on Monday that it was 'absolutely disgraceful' that the police had not informed the public that the men were Afghan asylum seekers. The Reform leader said that the backgrounds of suspects charged with sexual assault and rape should be shared publicly The PM's spokesman said the case in Nuneaton (pictured) was 'clearly a deeply upsetting and distressing case, which the public are right to feel shocked and angry about' Sir Keir has responded to Nigel Farage's warning that a 'police cover-up was 'reminiscent' of speculation about the background of the Southport killer last year which triggered a wave of conspiracy theories and riots last summer He warned that failing to disclose these details could lead to a repeat of the riots which happened in the wake of the murders of three children last year. 'What caused unrest on our streets after Southport last year was us not being told the status of the attacker,' he said. 'That led to crazy conspiracy theories spreading online.' The aftermath of the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed event by Axel Rudakubana a year ago sparked riots across the country. The unrest was fuelled by conspiracy theories and speculation on social media that the suspect was an illegal migrant. Jonathan Hall, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, later said that the failure to share basic facts had led to 'dangerous fictions' which caused the riots. Warwickshire Police has defended its position on the Nuneaton case, stating: 'We follow national guidance,' adding that this does not extend to 'sharing ethnicity or immigration status'. 'Where relevant, sensitive information around locations, details of the crime and policing activity to catch offenders can be shared, with a warning that this is sensitive or confidential information and disclosure by those being briefed could affect future court hearings,' it said. Appearing alongside Farage, George Finch (pictured), the 19-year-old Reform leader of Warwickshire County Council said he had 'begged' the police force to release details of the men's backgrounds. but that police refused 'due to this phrase "community cohesion".' During the press conference, Mr Farage also revealed the defection of Rupert Matthews (pictured) , the Tory police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire The guidance is issued by the Royal College of Policing and covers what details should be released to media but does not mention details of race, ethnicity or immigration status. Mr Finch, the 19-year-old council leader, told the press conference that he had been 'begging' for information about the men to be released. He said he had emailed the council's chief executive to urge them to release information about the men's immigration status. He said he also wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and the chief constable of Warwickshire Police calling for the immediate release of their immigration status. In it, he claimed that a 'cover-up' of the men's background 'risks public disorder breaking out on the streets of Warwickshire'. 'Having my ear to the ground locally, it is clear that there is much appetite for protests to take place across the county,' the letter adds. During the press conference, Mr Farage also revealed the defection of Rupert Matthews, the Tory police and crime commissioner for Leicestershire. The former Tory MEP and party member for 40 years left the party because he said Britain needed to cut the 'dark heart of wokeness' out of the criminal justice system. The author of various books on ghosts and UFOs becomes the party's first police and crime commissioner.
Telegraph
9 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour's Gaza mess is only worsening
Sir Keir Starmer's Government is digging itself into an ever deeper hole over its plan to recognise Palestine as a state. At home, this cowardly gesture has unleashed a hornets' nest; abroad, it has gratified the butchers of Hamas. Supporters of Palestine Action, which was proscribed after its attack on RAF Brize Norton, are calling for mass civil disobedience next Saturday in order to 'overwhelm' the police and courts. One of their leaders is Moazzam Begg, who spent three years as a detainee in Guantanamo Bay. Speaking in Birmingham at the weekend, Mr Begg told what he called 'the resistance' that 'we have a massive presence in this city' and must 'engage our leaders, our imams, our habits, those in positions of power, to join, there is strength in numbers'. In 2010 Mr Begg was paid an undisclosed sum in compensation for his time in Guantanamo, reported at the time to be £1m or more. In 2014 he was arrested for Syria-related terrorism offences, although charges were subsequently dropped. Will he now once more face the law? Supporting a proscribed terrorist organisation such as Palestine Action is a criminal offence. Meanwhile, those who warned against rewarding Hamas for rape, massacre and hostage-taking have been vindicated. Last week, Basem Naim, one of the terrorist organisation's leaders, exulted in the UK's support for the Palestinian cause: 'Victory and liberation are closer than we expected.' Hamas is still running Gaza; British recognition of Palestine would hand them a huge propaganda victory. Yesterday, the Prime Minister's spokesman refused to say whether such a state would be recognised if Hamas remains in control of Gaza. Downing Street repeats the mantra that ' Hamas can have no role in the future governance of Gaza '. But it insists that it cannot make recognition conditional on the actions of Hamas, a terrorist group, as the UK does not negotiate with terrorists and such demands would be tantamount to negotiation. Conditions seemingly only apply to democratic states. The legal knots in which this Government has tied itself would be comical if the consequences were not so tragic. Starmer and Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, are both lawyers to their fingertips. Yet they have conjured up a policy that is legally incoherent, morally indefensible and pleases nobody.
The Herald Scotland
38 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
John Curtice: SNP majority in 2026 ‘extremely unlikely'
"What is [[John Swinney]] doing? He is saying to people: if you want independence, vote [[SNP]]. Do not vote for Alba, do not vote for the Greens." READ MORE The First Minister's plan has proved controversial in the party, with rebels set to attempt to amend it at conference in October. One change that has the backing of 43 branches is to make a majority of list votes for pro-independence parties in 2026 a mandate for independence negotiations with the UK Government. "[[John Swinney]] does not want there to be a fragmented list vote," Prof Curtice told the audience in Edinburgh's Summerhall. "He wants people to vote for the SNP. The challenge facing the SNP — the thing that has not changed in Scottish politics despite the turbulence of the last two and a half years — is support for independence. We are still around 50/50 on the independence question. "Although you hear a lot of talk of people not being concerned about independence anymore, just tell that to most unionist voters. Most unionist voters are deeply concerned about independence. "Very few people now are willing to vote for the SNP if they are opposed to independence. That is in complete contrast to the position in 2011." Professor Sir John Curtice at The Herald's Unspun Live (Image: Colin Mearns/NQ) Then, he said, around 40% of people who supported devolution but not independence voted for the SNP. But now the party was not picking up any new No voters and was only winning around three-fifths of independence supporters. Even if the SNP were to win a majority of seats, the academic said it was unlikely the UK Government would agree to a referendum. Last week's comments from the First Minister marked a change in strategy. Previously, the party said a "democratic majority" of pro-independence MSPs after the 2026 election should pave the way to a new vote. Mr Swinney said: "The necessity of independence is absolutely paramount and we have got to make that case in the 2026 Scottish Parliament elections. "But there is a logjam and we have got to break that logjam. "We demonstrated how we break the logjam in the past, by electing a majority of SNP MSPs in 2011, and that led to an independence referendum in 2014." He invited supporters of independence to back his party in the constituency vote and to "demand independence" in the regional vote. Asked about how popular the First Minister is, Prof Curtice said Mr Swinney numbers had "been kind of steady since he became First Minister." "He is not as popular now as he was when he was Deputy First Minister," he added. "In an era of fragmented politics, that is still good enough to make him the least unpopular politician in Scotland." He added: "Anas Sarwar is still suffering from the shadow of Sir Keir Starmer. Kemi Badenoch — who is she? Nigel Farage is very strong and popular among a section of Scottish and British society." He said around 40% of Leave voters in Scotland were set to vote for Reform next year. Asked for predictions for next year's election, Prof Curtice said he thought it would be "child's play" for Reform to win at least 10 seats. Prof Curtice and Kevin McKenna and the Herald's Hannah Brown in conversation (Image: Colin Mearns/NQ) "I think Kemi Badenoch is becoming more effective, but it is very much a work in progress. The problem the Tories face is that Reform are not just taking voters, they are taking donors, they are taking people. "It is very difficult to see any outcome other than the SNP still providing government. What remains highly uncertain is how strong it will be. It could be as low as 45 seats. I think the maximum at the moment is 55 seats. "But 55 seats — you have only got to find one party to make a deal. With 45 you have got to find two, and that becomes much more difficult. "I think at the moment it is a race between Reform and Labour over who comes second, and unless the popularity of the Labour government improves, Labour may find themselves in much the same position as they are at the moment." "The lesson of the last Westminster parliament is not to presume that the outcome of the last election is going to determine what happens at the next one," he added. READ MORE Prof Curtice was also asked about Kate Forbes's decision to stand down at the next election. He described the outgoing Deputy First Minister as "one of the most talented politicians within the current parliament". "Some of us are old enough to remember those promises 25 years ago of a family-friendly parliament," he added. "She is not the only person who has found it difficult to combine parenthood with being an MSP. To that extent, I think the Parliament should reflect back on whether or not it is going to make it possible for people with young children, particularly those in rural constituencies, to be MSPs."
