logo
Starmer has worked to ‘cultivate' relationship with Trump, says minister

Starmer has worked to ‘cultivate' relationship with Trump, says minister

Leader Live16-07-2025
With Mr Trump having said he will meet Sir Keir in Aberdeen later this month during a private visit to Scotland, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said holding talks with the president is the 'right thing to do'.
He said US tariffs and the situation in Ukraine could be on the agenda for those discussions.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney will also meet the president – who recently voiced his support for the oil and gas sector over wind power projects.
In a BBC News interview, Mr Trump hailed Aberdeen as the 'oil capital' of Europe and said 'they should get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil'.
Mr Trump also said he and Sir Keir will 'refine' the recent trade deal struck between the UK and the US.
The agreement reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports, but questions remain over whether steel imports into America will face 50% tariffs.
There is also a baseline tariff of 10% for most other imports – with the Scotch whisky industry now said to be pushing for this to be lowered.
Mr Murray said: 'At this stage we have no sight of what the president's programme is, but we do know the First Minister and the Prime Minister will meet him, and it is right for them both to do so.'
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland programme, the Scottish Secretary added the meetings are 'the right thing to do because those relationships are incredibly important in terms of our own national interest'.
He added: 'We should make sure we are working very closely with our allies for the benefit of Scotland and the whole of the United Kingdom.'
Saying that doing 'what is in the UK's national interest' is the 'top priority' for the Prime Minister, the Scottish Secretary continued: 'Of course tariffs will be on the agenda I am sure, and the economic situation and the issue of Ukraine and defence.
'All of these issues I am sure will be on the agenda when they speak.
'The bottom line here is that it has taken a lot of effort for the Prime Minister to cultivate this relationship with our strongest ally, that's why we have the lowest tariffs in the world and why we had the first deal done with America in our national interest.'
Mr Murray said while the 10% tariff on whisky exports to the US is something the UK Government would like to see lowered, he added the UK's trade deal with India had cut tariffs for sales of the drink there in a 'huge, huge boon to the Scotch whisky industry'.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Readers' Letters: Bridge the attainment gap with pipe bands in schools
Readers' Letters: Bridge the attainment gap with pipe bands in schools

Scotsman

time26 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

Readers' Letters: Bridge the attainment gap with pipe bands in schools

A reader supports calls for the formation of pipe bands in schools to boost academic performance Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Professor Roderick Paisley (Scotsman, 5 August) is correct in noting the remarkable benefits offered to schools and their communities by forming pipe bands – and, of course, by sourcing serious cash for their continuing development. There are big lessons to be learned from the successes of Preston Lodge High School in East Lothian over the last decade or so, whether in terms of musical or academic performance. What has been achieved through imaginative public/private partnership deserves to be known across Scotland and beyond, as Preston Lodge proves itself to be a school well worthy of the accolade 'comprehensive' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Through the building up of discipline, ability, community and huge good fun the young people of Preston Lodge's bands have proved themselves willing learners to their teachers, giving so much to their fine school while enhancing so very clearly their own life prospects. Research found teenagers at Preston Lodge High who learned a traditional Scottish instrument outperformed their classmates in exams (Pictures: Jeff) If the SNP government is remotely serious about closing Scotland's dismal attainment gap in the short to medium term, it should pack its education boffins onto the Waverley to Prestonpans train and take a ride. This would prove to be a short journey of considerable discovery. Rev Dr Robin Hill, Longniddry, East Lothian Learn lesson On 1 August, five days before the 80th anniversary of America dropping the first nuclear bomb on Hiroshima (marked yesterday), in response to an ill-advised tweet by Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, President Trump ordered two ballistic nuclear submarines closer to Russia. A few days earlier the commander of the US Army in Europe, General Christopher Donoghue, boasted that he could 'take down' the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad in a shock and awe operation. Then Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator for South Carolina urged Trump to 'kick Putin's ass'. Not to be outdone Zelensky said 'if we don't stand firm Putin will advance further than Ukraine'. The hotline between Moscow and Washington is no longer in use, the Doomsday Clock is 89 seconds to midnight, and the Hiroshima bomb which killed hundreds of thousands is a pin-prick compared with the monstrous nuclear arsenals of Russia and America. We are in danger of sleepwalking into Armageddon. William Loneskie, Lauder, Scottish Borders Holocaust denial Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The egregious situation unfolding in Gaza is endangering global knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust. As a long-time, proactive supporter of the rights of Palestinians to self-determination and as grandmother to two Jewish boys, I fear that Holocaust denial is likely to gather hideous momentum due to the actions of the Israeli government. The asymmetric barrage of death inflicted on Gaza – alongside our present climate of 'fake news' and binary stances invoked by social media – is on course to re-shape our understanding of history in all its diabolic manifestations. Susie Macleod, Ceres, Fife Flawed tax Replacements for the much-derided council tax seem to have been touted forever. A spokesman from the Jimmy Reid Foundation, put it well: 'We've had consultations, commissions and countless commitments, but little has changed.' (Scotsman, 6 August) Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad And meanwhile, cash-strapped councils continue to struggle to provide much needed services, not least libraries and education. Taxation based on outdated property bands is clumsy and unfair. The trouble is that no system seems foolproof. My own view is that a tax system based on land valuation is the least flawed option. Land is something we all share, however infinitesimally and releases our taxes from a base in either property or income. We can only hope that after decades of consultations, commissions and countless commitments, everything will have changed, for the better. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Forbes' exit The valedictory praise heaped on Kate Forbes could not have been greater had politicians and journalists been writing obituaries. Certainly, Ms Forbes is a good communicator and made encouraging noises about Scotland needing to nurture private business, which generates the wealth that the financially incontinent SNP regime spends at will. However, two queries need to be addressed. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad First, what did Ms Forbes actually achieve in government, beyond making soothing comments about intent? There is nothing visible to the naked eye. Second, her words that are sensible in comparison with pretty much anything any other SNP politician says were vitiated by her clear attachment to the falsehoods that underpin what passes for SNP policy. As an example, when, a couple of years ago, Ian Blackford revived the SNP lie that HM Treasury would continue to fund pensions in an independent Scotland, Ms Forbes said that she would not presume to disagree with him. Further, she may or may not have agreed with the SNP leadership's espousal of scientifically illiterate 'gender' theory, but we shall probably never know. She managed to absent herself from public discussion of that. Perhaps that is evidence of her political astuteness, but ordinary voters can scarcely find it a credible stance for an allegedly principled politician. Jill Stephenson, Edinburgh New deputy With Kate Forbes out of the picture, John Swinney will need to have someone else for the position of deputy leader ahead of the upcoming Holyrood election. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This person needs to have a solid track record of success. Enter Jenny Gilruth, the Education Secretary? She has decreased the attainment gap between rich and poor pupils, Nicola Sturgeon's dream. In true SNP style, this was only by a rather meagre 0.1 per cent but in SNP circles this qualifies as a huge success. Don't forget all talk of Kate Forbes being leadership material was originally only based upon her short-notice speech when she replaced Derek McKay after his enforced resignation. This sums the SNP up in one word: lightweight. Gerald Edwards, Glasgow Darien II Council chiefs in Edinburgh and Glasgow have no chance of meeting net zero targets by 2030 (Scotsman, 6 August), just as the SNP at Holyrood will fail to meet the 2045 goals. It appears not a single MSP is aware that the cost to decarbonise Scottish homes increased from the Green Party estimate of £31 billion to £130bn once Humza Yousaf dispensed with the services of Patrick Harvie as a minister. That debt is about a cost of over £50,000 for every Scottish household! Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In addition, the total cost of meeting Scottish net zero goals will be around £1 trillion, which indicates Holyrood plans to inflict a Darien Scheme Mk2 on every Scottish taxpayer. Ian Moir, Castle Douglas, Dumfries & Galloway Bin day blunder On Sunday night, the UK was under an amber alert due to Storm Floris, with authorities urging the public to avoid unnecessary travel as train services were expected to be disrupted. Yet, come Monday morning – bin collection day – households were faced with a dilemma. With strong winds forecast for the afternoon, many were unsure whether to put their bins out or risk them becoming airborne hazard. Paper waste, collected only once a month, meant most households didn't want to miss the opportunity. Unfortunately, as predicted, the stormy winds arrived and paper bins began tipping over, sending cardboard and paper flying across streets and gardens. While such incidents aren't frequent, they're not unheard of either – especially in a country with decades-old waste collection practices and unpredictable weather. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad What's truly surprising is the lack of any clear guidance or contingency plans from the responsible authorities. In an age where weather alerts are timely and accurate, surely it's time for our waste collection services to adapt and communicate better with the public during adverse conditions. Imran M Khan, Cambuslang, South Lanarkshire Sign here In the 2024 general election, I stood as an independent candidate in the new constituency of Dunfermline and Dollar. I secured 323 votes. In good faith, I campaigned for a better Britain. In the event, Labour was gifted a parliamentary majority of 165, a totally demoralised and fragmented opposition, a lame and tame Speaker and considerable public goodwill. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Despite such favourable political circumstances, Labour has squandered a unique opportunity. They promised so much, but have delivered little. Britain is considerably worse off at every level. Labour now stands accused of a massive electoral fraud. They must be brought to book. I owe it to 323 voters in Fife therefor to fully support the Parliamentary Petition to demand a general election now. Inevitably Starmer will remind his MP's that there are good reasons for them to protect him. He will lean on the gullible Speaker and he will brush off any petition of modest numbers. However if the petition reaches one million signatures, even Starmer, with little or no integrity, will have to acknowledge the inevitable. I urge every Scot to sign the petition, without hesitation. Graham Hadley, Dunfermline, Fife Write to The Scotsman

The massive sums paid by Scottish universities to overseas recruiting agents revealed
The massive sums paid by Scottish universities to overseas recruiting agents revealed

Scotsman

time26 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

The massive sums paid by Scottish universities to overseas recruiting agents revealed

Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish universities are spending soaring sums of money on overseas recruiting agents to attract wealthy foreign students. New figures show seven of Scotland's mainstream higher education institutions spent £15.2 million on payments and commission for specialist operatives in one year to attract rich international students to enrol in courses. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland rank: 4. UK rank: 31 The University of Aberdeen is a UK Top 20 and World Top 200 University with outstanding levels of student satisfaction. Heriot Watt, Strathclyde and Aberdeen universities all spent more than £4m each on agent fees, the figures for 2023/24 show. The total spent since the 2019/20 academic year is £88.2m for the institutions which responded to Freedom of Information requests. But the true amount for the sector will be far higher, given the small number of the 15 universities surveyed that agreed to disclose the data. Others said the information was 'commercially sensitive' and opted not to share it. Neither Edinburgh nor Glasgow universities disclosed the level of payments made to overseas recruiting agents for 2023/24. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Universities Scotland, the umbrella body for the sector, said foreign students had become 'essential' to propping up cash-strapped organisations. Scottish Conservative shadow education secretary Miles Briggs said universities were 'enhanced' by international students who make a 'positive social and economic impact'. However, he added: 'Clearly cash-strapped institutions are having to speculate to accumulate. They know the SNP has created a near impossible environment, and they rely heavily now on foreign students for their fees. Miles Briggs MSP 'We also know that the SNP's approach to higher education is freezing out Scottish students from their own universities.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Two years ago spending on recruitment agents was at a high of at least £18m - an increase of 50 per cent on the 2019/20 academic year. Fees for overseas students are an average of £22,000 per year while there is an SNP-imposed cap on places for resident Scottish students. The University of Aberdeen has 102 'active agents', who it said were 'active in all regions except for the United States of America'. The university spent £5m on these workers. By contrast, the University of the Highlands and Islands employs five operatives working in areas as diverse as Brunei, Cambodia, Lebanon and Kuwait. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Agents are usually paid a referral fee for candidates who sign up for courses, either as a flat rate per student or a percentage of their fees. They can help applicants navigate the application and immigration process. Concerns have been raised the agents may prioritise chasing commissions over the best interests of students. The number of 18-year-olds from Scotland's most deprived areas securing places at university has increased by 100 to 1,960, which is a record high. The number of young Scots who have secured a place at university this year has also increased to a new high of 16,340 acceptances for 18-year-olds, up 4 per cent on last year. While there are caps on the number of home students who can access a place at a Scottish university - and receive free tuition - there is no limit on the number of overseas students. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Universities Scotland spokeswoman said: 'A decade of public underinvestment in university teaching and research has meant that cross-subsidy from international student fees has become essential. 'Recruitment, particularly where institutions look to diversify into new markets, does require upfront investment.' The spokeswoman said investment delivered a 'strong return' for both universities and the wider Scottish economy, saying international students contributed £4.75 billion between 2018/19 and 2021/22. 'The fact tens of millions have been spent on these agents, working in literally every corner of the globe, shows how the SNP has forced universities out into the world just to make ends meet,' Mr Briggs added. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government spokeswoman said international students played a positive economic, social and cultural role in Scotland. "They add to the diversity of our communities, enrich the learning experience and support local businesses and jobs,' the spokeswoman said.

I'll drive Tony Bloom's Hearts title train but let's be realistic about the two big engines in the way
I'll drive Tony Bloom's Hearts title train but let's be realistic about the two big engines in the way

Daily Record

time26 minutes ago

  • Daily Record

I'll drive Tony Bloom's Hearts title train but let's be realistic about the two big engines in the way

Stevo is loving the ambitious talk coming from the new Tynecastle money man but McInnes will keep it real Tony Bloom fairly got folk talking with his comments about wrestling Scottish football power from Celtic and Rangers. ‌ Let's get one thing straight, I loved it. It's great to hear such ambition. ‌ If Bloom's Hearts train steams all the way to the Premiership title in years to come, I sincerely hope I'm driving it. ‌ But there's a couple of big engines in the way. And I've got to be honest and realistic about the prospect of Hearts getting past them. Bloom is a man of vision and, more importantly, substance. He's done it, so the words aren't empty. He used the examples of Brighton and Union St Gilloise in Belgium and adopting methods and analytics to bridge gaps, but we are on different tracks here in Scotland. This is a different network. I don't want to seem downbeat, or defeatist. I'm not. As I said. I savoured hearing it and I can tell you that my Hearts pals were all the same judging by the messages I was getting ahead of the Aberdeen match in the lead up to kick-off. Fans were buzzing and it carried into their support. I'll go as far as to say that, even had Hearts lost to the Dons, the feelgood would still be there as the new investor has given them something to believe in. So it's not gloom and Bloom when I say my next bit. I'm just looking at it as neutrally as I can. I understand people discussing the success of his other footballing ventures and the man himself using these as examples, but no matter what way you look at it, Hearts are up against two powerhouses. Rangers and Celtic are global clubs. ‌ You go to Australia, you've got a Celtic pub, or a Rangers pub. Same in Dubai, or anywhere, pretty much. USG has been a huge success story, but you don't see an Anderlecht pub in Melbourne, or a Standard Liege cafe in Abu Dhabi. Brighton has been immense, but they aren't overtaking Manchester City and Liverpool. I don't mean this bad on Bloom's part, but I'm not sure he'll yet fully grasp the bulk of Rangers and Celtic. Or maybe he does, but sometimes thinking can be clouded until you live something. ‌ Hearts are themselves an situation, but on a different scale. As I said, Rangers and Celtic are global and they'll take some shifting. I've also been interested to note the chatter around how Derek McInnes will feel about Bloom's statements. Whether he'll feel added pressure. I'll be honest, I don't think Del's at a stage in his life or his career where he'll be working under pressure. For a start, he'll want to do well for himself. ‌ Also, and not in a big-headed way, I think he would have enough balls to sit in front of Bloom and say: I love everything you're saying because it's amazing and I hope I'm on this train when we do go and win the title. But he'll be as realistic as he is ambitious and he'll be keeping the focus short and sweet right at this moment in time. Like me, he'll 100 per cent be looking at the next game. Del will be driving that point home because, again, everything's heightened after Monday events on and off the park. ‌ Hearts played well. The start was outstanding. I have said defenders need to chip with goals and Stuart Findlay got that ball rolling. Lawrence Shankland's finish was outrageous and, even though it got chopped off, it's like: He is back. Everything is doubly hyped. I loved the fact that Del came out after the game and made it clear he wanted much more from the second-half performance. He's driving standards and keeping folk grounded. You can see it in the players. They know they don't perform and they'll be watching from the stands. It's next game, next game. Findlay came out after the match and said just that. He's an experienced operator who knows the manager's ways and thoughts. I'll bet that, even if he didn't score, Del would still have nominated him to do the post-match media because there's method in that. ‌ Let's be honest, if I'm being brutally honest about this, plenty of footballers are dumb at times and I include myself in that. Sometimes you can sit in that changing room and go: Bloody hell, I think we could beat Celtic and Rangers this year. Then you go out there and blurt it out. ‌ Exactly 12 months ago after an opening-day draw with Rangers, Yan Dhanda came out and said Hearts could challenge the Old Firm. A few weeks later they were bottom of the league. I did the column afterwards and said: Aye, maybe he just needs to calm down a bit! If you're the manager, you want the boys to believe it, but you don't want them to say it. And Del's too smart to have someone go out on Monday night and mouth off. So listen, I think everything's bang on the money, but it's just about concentrating on the next game. And if Hearts rack up 10 league wins on the bounce, then fine. Let's talk about splitting the Old Firm. Then let's see where we finish before talking of overhauling them. Right now? It's been a great start to the season, but it's just the next game. And, as much as I enjoy hearing Bloom's ambition, let's worry about winning titles a bit later down the tracks.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store