Ex-justice secretary demands UK pay for Trump's visit
Mr Trump will visit both of the golf clubs he owns in the country - Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Menie, near Aberdeen, in the coming days. He is also due to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit.
Before boarding the presidential plane Air Force One to fly to Scotland, the US President told journalists: "The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him." He also said he has a "lot of love" for Scotland.
READ MORE:
Billed as a private visit, the trip comes ahead of the state visit, expected to take place in September, when Mr Trump will meet the King. Despite that, the president's visit will prove a huge logistical challenge for Police Scotland, with the national force calling in support from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
Earlier this week, both the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents raised concerns about the pressure being put on policing by the arrival of the US leader.
In a statement Mr MacAskill said: "We are seeing our police service drained, front line policing undermined and officers burned out as a result of the pressures being put on Police Scotland to police the Trump visit to Scotland.
"The private visit is only taking place because Sir [[Keir Starmer]] wanted the visit to take place away from Parliament. Therefore it is only right and proper that full cost reimbursement for the massive policing costs of the Trump visit should be met from the coffers of the UK and not the Scottish Government.
'The UK Government met the core costs when world leaders came to Scotland for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and that is the very least that should happen now.
'But this private trip is only happening because the UK Government have invited Trump to the UK and so they should meet the full costs.
'We must not have the double whammy of our police services being stretched while at the same time the Scottish Government having to pick up the massive costs of policing the Trump visit. That is why the UK Government must meet the full costs for the visit and the disruption which they have imposed on Scotland.'
Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the visit on Friday, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be "an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland.
"There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister," he said.
"That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza.
"I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States.
"We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard."
Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so "peacefully and to do so within the law".
A UK Government spokeswoman said: 'There are established processes for considering the policing costs of visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by foreign dignitaries.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ITV News
3 minutes ago
- ITV News
Trump orders nuclear submarines to be moved near Russia over 'foolish and inflammatory statements'
Donald Trump has ordered two nuclear submarines to be strategically positioned over what he described as " inflammatory" remarks by the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev. It comes amid a war of words between the pair that started after the US president set a '10 or 12 day' deadline for Russia to agree on a ceasefire with Ukraine during his meeting with Sir Keir Starmer in Scotland on Monday. Writing on his Truth Social platform on Friday evening, Trump said: "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that. "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" It comes after former Russian president Medvedev, Vladimir Putin's right-hand-man, warned Trump against 'playing the ultimatum game with Russia' following his shortened deadline. 'Russia isn't Israel or even Iran,' Medvedev, wrote on X. 'Each new ultimatum is a threat and a step towards war. Not between Russia and Ukraine, but with his own country,' Medvedev said. After Trump responded on his Truth Social platform by telling Medvedev, "the failed former president of Russia, who thinks he's still president" to "watch his words", Medvedev reminded Trump of Moscow's Soviet-era automatic, retaliatory nuclear strike capabilities.
Daily Mirror
4 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Donald Trump orders nuclear submarines closer to Russia in power-play with Putin
Donald Trump has threatened higher tariffs and has vowed to use American nuclear submarines in order to protect itself following statements made by Dmitry Medvedev Donald Trump has ordered nuclear submarines to be moved closer to Russia in response to threats made by the country's former president. In a post shared to his Truth Social, Mr Trump called out ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev following statements that he made. The US President said in response he would move nuclear submarines "appropriate regions" closer to Russia. "Based on the highly provocative statements of the Former President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, who is now the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, I have ordered two Nuclear Submarines to be positioned in the appropriate regions, just in case these foolish and inflammatory statements are more than just that," Mr Trump said. It comes after Donald Trump recently reignited his feud with Sadiq Khan in front of Keir Starmer, with a savage jibe at the London "Words are very important, and can often lead to unintended consequences, I hope this will not be one of those instances. Thank you for your attention to this matter!" Mr Trump and Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, traded taunts in recent days after the Republican said on Tuesday that Russia had 10 days from today" to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine or be hit, along with its oil, with higher tariffs. Medvedev accused Mr Trump of engaging in a "game of ultimatums" and said Russia still possessed Soviet-era nuclear strike capabilities after the Republican told the former president to "watch his words." The battle of words emerged after Mr Trump reportedly undid months of denying or limiting aid to Ukraine as he aimed to broker a peace between Kyiv and Moscow. Mr Trump agreed to send more lethal aid to Ukraine, sparking fury in Moscow where Putin and his allies had relished the US President's previous unwillingness to support Kyiv as much as his predecessor Joe Biden. Medvedev meanwhile has emerged as one of the Kremlin's most outspoken anti-Western hawks since Russia sent tens of thousands of its troops into Ukraine. Kremlin critics slammed him as an irresponsible loose cannon, though some Western diplomats have said his statements underscore the thinking in the Kremlin. Experts have warned Russia is pursuing its ambition to rebuild its influence and recreate a relevance not seen since its Soviet and imperial eras. Multiple foreign policy analysts have raised the alarm that Putin could pursue a war with NATO by targeting the Baltic States of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The countries were once member states of both the Russian Empire and, following brief inter-war periods of independence, the Soviet Union.
Telegraph
4 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Scottish Tories eye Reform electoral pact
Senior Scottish Conservatives have discussed striking an electoral pact with Reform UK for the Holyrood elections next spring. One figure backing a deal told The Telegraph it could help avoid splitting the vote on the Right and kick the SNP out of power in Scotland. The deal, which would not need to be made public, would see the Tories either not stand candidates or go easy in areas where Reform is better placed to win and vice versa. It comes as Nigel Farage 's party sits above the Conservatives in third place in opinion polls for the Scottish Parliament elections next May. A pact does not have the backing of Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, whose team released a statement ruling out the possibility when approached by The Telegraph. But the fact a deal is being considered at senior levels in the party underscores the scale of Reform's popularity surge north of the border and the concerns it has triggered among Tories. In Scotland, Reform now has 15 councillors, 14 of whom used to be Conservatives. It is in marked contrast to other political parties previously run by Mr Farage, such as the UK Independence Party (Ukip), which struggled to get a foothold north of border. One Tory MSP has privately spoken of a defection 'watch list' in Holyrood of those suspected of switching to Reform. Mr Farage also waved away the idea he would agree to any such pact, telling The Telegraph: 'No chance. The Tories are dying in Scotland and I've got no desire to do a deal with them whatsoever.' The idea of some form of agreement, public or private, between the Conservatives and Reform has become a common discussion point in Westminster. Average UK-wide voting polls have Reform in first place on 30 per cent of the vote, with the Tories in a distant third on 17 per cent. Labour is in second place on 22 per cent. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, has ruled out a pre-vote deal with Mr Farage, but speculation continues with the next general election not due until 2029. The recent by-election result for the Scottish Parliament seat of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse underscored the challenges of Right-wing parties splitting the vote. Labour won the seat with 32 per cent of the vote, followed by the SNP on 29 per cent. Reform came third on 26 per cent. Had the Tories, who got 6 per cent, not stood a candidate, it is possible Reform would have beaten Labour and taken the seat, though pollsters often caution against hard conclusions when predicting voter behaviour. Mr Farage has agreed to election pacts before. The Brexit Party, the precursor to Reform which Mr Farage led, had criticism of the Tory handling of the issue of Europe as its heart. Yet he still agreed not to stand candidates against sitting Conservatives at the 2019 general election to help Boris Johnson win and get a Brexit deal through the Commons, securing the UK's departure from the European Union. Despite interest in some quarters of the Scottish Conservative Party, other figures strongly played down the possibility of a pact. One Scottish Tory politician who has spent years in influential positions said: 'Churchill's phrase comes to mind, 'You don't negotiate with a tiger when your head's in its mouth'. We're in competition with Reform – we're not in partnership with them.' The source said Scottish Tory supporters had brought up the prospect of a deal with Reform but that there was little chance it would be adopted by the leadership. Another senior Scottish Tory said: 'Why would Reform do a deal? I can see why we might be interested in it, but why would they?' There have long been suspicions on the Right of coordination between Labour and the Liberal Democrats at general elections to maximise the chances of Tory defeats. The Lib Dems surged from winning 11 MPs at the 2019 general election to 72 MPs at the 2024 general election with almost no increase in overall vote share. The party's strategists have talked about how they ruthlessly focused on a small number of winnable seats rather than competing hard everywhere. Labour was likely to have benefited from the decreased campaigning in non-target seats. But there are reasons why striking some form of deal would be less likely in elections for the Scottish Parliament than the UK-wide Parliament in Westminster. The electoral system for the Scottish Parliament has a proportional element, meaning as well as individual constituency races a party wins some MPs for their overall vote totals. Reform, whose strategists hope to get between 10 and 20 MSPs next spring, is expected to get their victories almost entirely via this way, known as 'the list', rather than winning constituencies. That could provide a disincentive to strike a deal with the Tories, given a lower overall vote total would likely mean fewer MSPs thanks to this proportion element of the election. In polling for next spring's Scottish Parliament elections, Reform is on around 17 per cent, above the Tories on around 12 per cent. The SNP is top, followed by Labour. A year ago, it looked likely that Labour could win power in Scotland but a support slump since Sir Keir Starmer took office last summer means the SNP is now well-placed to remain in office. A Scottish Conservative spokesman said: 'Nigel Farage has said he is content with the SNP winning another five years in power and Reform stood multiple pro-independence candidates in the general election, so no, this won't be happening. 'The Scottish Conservatives want to get the SNP out of power, while Reform will gladly help the nationalists.'
