Donald Trump speaks on Scottish independence after John Swinney announces referendum plan
Donald Trump has played down the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence and warned "a country can't go through that too much"
The US President joined Keir Starmer for a press conference at the Turnberry Hotel in South Ayrshire today where he was asked about John Swinney's plans for an IndyRef.
The SNP leader used his regular column in the Daily Record to reveal his party must win an outright majority of MSPs at Holyrood to secure another vote on Scotland's constitutional future.
Trump initially quipped "I don't want to get involved in your politics - we've got enough politics of our own" but then offered his opinion on whether the 2014 referendum was a once in a generation event.
He told reporters at his five star hotel: "I don't want to get involved in your politics, we've got enough politics of our own. What I will say, I predicted what was going to happen the last time, you remember? I was opening the first course over at Aberdeen, and I was over here, and they asked me that question. It was the day before the vote, and I like to be correct, but I made a correct prediction.
"When they made that deal, somebody said 'could they do this all the time?'. There was a little bit of a restriction, like something like 50 or 75 years before you could take another vote. Because a country can't go through that too much.
"I don't know the First Minister but I've heard great things about him, I've spoken to him, I hear very good things about him, and I'm meeting him today, so maybe I'll have a better opinion then.
Keir Starmer also dismissed the idea of another independence referendum.
Speaking alongside the President, the Prime Minister added: "Let me answer that straightforwardly, because I believe in a stronger Scotland, in a better United Kingdom. At a time like this, it's quite clear, when there's uncertainty and volatility around the world, the strength of the United Kingdom together is very important for all four nations, and it's very important for Scotland. That should be our priority, that should be our focus - and not on the politics of yesteryear, at a time like this.
"I think the First Minister should probably focus more on his delivery in Scotland than on his constitutional issues, and we might have a better health service in Scotland.
"At a time like this, I think the UK is always stronger as four nations, and that's better for all four nations."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
10 minutes ago
- Daily Record
Woman, 64, left bloodied after being hit by sign during far-right protest in Edinburgh
The 64-year-old was part of a group from Stand Up to Racism who had gathered in the city's Meadows on Friday, August 1. An elderly woman was rushed to hospital after she was hit by a placard and left bloodied during a far-right protest in Edinburgh. The 64-year-old was part of a group from Stand Up to Racism who had gathered in the city's Meadows on Friday, August 1. They claimed the Great British National Strike was 'threatening intimidation'. In a clip shared by Stand up To Racism, an individual can be seen throwing a placard. It's understood that the woman, who was out of the frame, was hit by the sign and left with blood pouring down her face, Edinburgh Live reports. An image following the video reportedly shows the woman bleeding from the head, while police officers stand round her. According to the Stand up to Racism group, 250 of their members were at the gathering which saw several of them make speeches before the opposing group 'disappeared up a side street'. Police are now probing the assault on Hope Park Avenue at around 9.20pm on August 1. The Great British National Strike was formed by Richard Donaldson. He previously explained his group, stating: "This is a movement about unity. We are the Great British National Strike, and it is a protest. "We stand against illegal immigration, net zero, inheritance tax and the attacks on our farmers, the attacks on our most vulnerable, the lack of inquiry into rape gangs and the attacks on free speech and two-tier justice." Opposing the group, Stand up to Racism said: "We are seeing the far-right returning to the streets of Scotland, following violent racist protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers. "This anti-refugee sentiment has sadly been whipped up by Starmer's 'Island of strangers' speech and the scapegoating rhetoric of far-right Reform UK. After a 250-strong rally that involved speakers from a wide spectrum of the left, anti-racists blocked the fascists from assembling, and eventually the 'master race' was forced to disappear up a side street." Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Councillor Katrina Faccenda, of Leith, commented: "I was proud to stand with the many counter protestors who came on Friday to stand up to the far right. "The level of aggression from the so-called Scottish patriots was shocking and in my opinion merited dispersal. There can be no equivalence between the lively behaviour of the counter-protest organised by SUTR and the threatening behaviour I witnessed on the other side which culminated in a head injury of an older woman due to an aggressively thrown placard. "I urge everyone to give short shrift to these opportunists who are trying to take advantage of the difficult times many are facing in Edinburgh - this is not the fault of migrants or refugees but of a system which continues to put profit above people and politicians who are failing to deliver the radical policies needed to change this broken system." A Police Scotland spokesperson said: 'Around 9.20pm on Friday, 1 August, 2025, we received a report of an assault at a protest on Hope Park Avenue, Edinburgh, 'Officers were in attendance, and a 64-year-old woman was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment. Enquiries are ongoing."
The Herald Scotland
10 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Analysis: Kate Forbes Holyrood step down should worry us all
The Deputy First Minister now joins a growing list of senior female MSPs stepping down ahead of Holyrood 2026 which should make us worried for Scotland's future. This morning on the radio a report into widespread sexism and abuse in Scottish politics, first reported in The Herald, was discussed. Only two hours after talks about this over the airwaves, the Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced she will not seek re-election to the Scottish Parliament next year. These coinciding issues left me frustrated at the direction our politics is heading for. Engender's recent report, titled 'The Road to Success - Women's Candidate Journey and Way to Advance it', laid bare the enduring challenges faced by women pursuing political office in Scotland. It warned that without urgent cultural reform within parties, progress toward gender parity could stall—or, even worse, reverse. When I saw the DFM's post on X this morning, I could not help but be reminded of a stark warning highlighted in the report that experienced, talented and intelligent women will not stay in politics. Ms Forbes stepping down was a case in point. READ MORE: Major report reveals widespread sexism and abuse in politics Why are women in Scottish politics still facing hurdles? Holyrood 2026: Fears over female MSP representation Second only to the First Minister in government, the Deputy First Minister now joins 14 other female SNP MSP leaving her party next year. This includes an exodus of senior female figures such as former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, finance secretary Shona Robison, transport secretary Fiona Hyslop and veteran MSP Christine Grahame. Giving her reasons for leaving, Ms Forbes stated in her letter to John Swinney she does not want to miss any more precious time with her family - more than fair rationale from Ms Forbes but a sad truth that she had to choose between politics and time with her family. It is wrong to reduce a woman to being solely responsible for caring for children and every woman is, of course, unique. Yet, it is still a reality that women are often the primary care givers. The Engender report found evidence of widespread bias at all stages against those with caring responsibilities, and a lack of practical support from parties to help manage these. Talat Yaqoob, one of the main report researchers, told me: "Women should not have to pick one or the other. For politics to be representative of the people of Scotland, those who have caring responsibilities should be enabled and supported to fully take party. "I have concerns that, despite significant efforts, we will actually see a decrease in the number of women elected in 2026 for a number of reasons, particularly growing levels of hostility and abuse in our politics.' Other issues flagged in the report include the growing amount of online harassment, 'default male' models favoured by parties, lack of safety measures and everyday sexism and bullying in political parties. Ms Forbes has already opened up about such issues cropping up in her life and her colleagues'. At an event in June this year, the deputy First Minister said the destructive nature of social media "cannot be overstated" as she criticised actor Rupert Everett for making 'misogynistic' and 'abhorrent' comments after he described Nicola Sturgeon as a "witch". During campaigning, she also said people would "automatically" shake the hand of the male activist instead of hers, despite her being the candidate for the area. Asked about the impact of social media, Ms Forbes had this to say: "It's going to transform and totally change the kind of people that are in politics for a generation." So with the DFM ruling herself out of frontline politics for now, alongside many senior female colleagues, questions remain over which women, if any, will shape the politics of Scotland's future. To prevent us careening towards a future where we erase women from frontline politics, there needs to be a "culture and system overhaul", as Ms Yaqoob puts it, on how politics works and who it currently works for.
The Herald Scotland
35 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Kate Forbes exit: Has Holyrood failed family friendly goal?
"I am grateful to them for accommodating the heavy demands of being a political figure. Looking ahead to the future, I do not want to miss any more of the precious early years of family life – which can never be rewound." It's a statement that will resonate with all working parents (most often mothers as they usually have the responsibility as chief carer) across Scotland, many who will have regretted missing a school sports day or a school show or felt the panic of a meeting over-running as the clock approached nursery closing hours. But it will particularly echo with a considerable number of MSPs. Kate Forbes pictured with her daughter Naomi aged six months, in March 2023 during the SNP leadership race (Image: Colin Mearns) When the Scottish Parliament was reconvened in 1999 there was much emphasis that Holyrood would do things differently to Westminster including that it would be more family friendly. For instance, the late night sittings, common place in the House of Commons, would be avoided in preference for more usual office hours and parliamentary sittings would align with school term times. But despite Holyrood mostly keeping to the standard working hours for its debates and committee hearings and sitting during school term times, MSPs and ministers have duties that take them well beyond the daily nine to five. For many MSPs the job is a 24 hour round the clock role - so perhaps political parties should do more to help promote a better work life balance among their parliamentarians. READ MORE: Ahead of the last [[Holyrood]] election in 2021, [[Kate Forbes]]' SNP colleague and fellow Highland MSP Gail Ross spoke about how it was to be an MSP, especially for a large constituency a long way from Edinburgh with the huge amount of weekly travel that involves, and being a mother who was there for her children. If there are difficulties for a backbencher, as Ms Ross was, in finding a decent balance between working and caring duties, these challenges intensify for someone in government, who in addition to all their responsibilities as an MSP, also has the huge demands of being a minister or a cabinet minister. And of course the pressure rises still further for anyone in the role of Deputy First Minister or First Minister. I was struck by a comment by John Swinney last week when he told Donald Trump that he likes to caddy for his son Matthew, who is 14. My immediate thought was 'that's a really nice thing to do but how does the First Minister find time to caddy for his son?' Clearly the FM must do a lot of diary juggling to find time to spend this quality time with his teenager. It reflects the situation that few of Scotland's First Ministers have been parents of young children while in office. Donald Dewar's two children were adults when he was First Minister, as were his Labour successors' Henry McLeish's and Jack McConnell. When it came to the [[SNP]], neither Alex Salmond nor Nicola Sturgeon had any children. The latter has spoken of her deep sadness of this situation and has also revealed she suffered a miscarriage in January 2011 while Deputy First Minister. As an indication of the pressures under which senior politicians are under Ms Sturgeon told some years later that instead of dealing with her grief at home she attended the 40th anniversary of the Ibrox disaster, in which 66 Rangers football supporters were crushed to death. Humza Yousaf was indeed the first First Minister to have young children while in office at Bute House. Mr Yousaf used his time at the top of government to highlight that he also had an important role as a father. The then First Minister and his wife Nadia El Nakla had one daughter Amal, three, together when he first became FM while Mr Yousaf was also stepfather to 14 year old daughter Maya. He liked to describe himself as a "hands-on dad", was pictured reading bed time stories to Amal after becoming First Minister and spoke of the need to set boundaries between his family and working life. Things didn't always go to plan and Mr Yousaf previously recounted one episode, just after he was elected SNP leader, when Amal burst into a Bute House meeting when he was deciding who would be in his Cabinet. 'I'm deciding who's going to be in my Cabinet, making last-minute tweaks to the ministerial team. It was about 9.30pm and in comes Amal, bare feet, unicorn pyjamas, saying 'Dad I have to go to bed, Mummy says'. 'And both Colin [McAllister] and Shona [Robison] were like 'that has never happened at Bute House before. I say to my kids and wife Nadia, as much as this is a workspace, it's also our residence and family home too.' Given the challenges it was perhaps not surprising that Mr Yousaf paid tribute to his wife, children and family for their support in his tearful resignation statement. "Politics can be a brutal business. It takes its toll on your physical and mental health; your family suffer alongside you. I am in debt to my wonderful wife, my beautiful children and wider family for putting up with me over the years, I am afraid you will be seeing a lot more of me now. You are truly everything to me," he said. Shortly after returning to the backbenches the former First Minister was keen to highlight one of the silver linings of his loss of office was being able to attend events with Amal that he wouldn't have had the time to while in Bute House. Kate Forbes's resignation announcement has been met with considerable dismay across Holyrood today. No doubt her young daughter and her wider family will be delighted to see more of her. But it is a sad state of affairs that we expect so much of a sacrifice from our politicians that they feel they cannot be both successful MSPs and even senior ministers and also contented and nurturing parents.
