logo
Officers considering legal action against Police Scotland over Trump visit plans

Officers considering legal action against Police Scotland over Trump visit plans

Rhyl Journal5 days ago
The Scottish Police Federation (SPF), which represents 98% of all police officers in Scotland, said the force has already breached health and safety standards in the run up to the visit by the US president.
Thousands of officers are expected to be involved in what Police Scotland has described as a 'significant policing operation'.
The White House confirmed Mr Trump will visit his golf courses in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire between July 25 and 29.
He will meet the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the First Minister John Swinney during his private trip.
The visit is likely to result in widespread protests, following similar demonstrations during his last visit to Scotland.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the SPF, suggested planning for the visit has already put officers at risk.
He said: 'We currently have workforce agreements in place to protect police officers and provide minimum standards of Health and Safety at work.
'Sadly, we have seen these agreements breached in the days leading to the arrival of Potus (President of the United States) and as such we are seeking legal advice regarding potential legal action against the service.'
Speaking to STV News, Mr Kennedy said he had 'major concerns' about the plans to police Mr Trump's trip.
He told the broadcaster: 'We do not have enough police officers in Scotland.
'Anyone that says we do, I don't know where they get those figures from.
'We know what police officers have to do day in, day out and we need more officers in Scotland.
'When these events come along that puts those officers that are here under so much pressure.'
Police Scotland said earlier this month it would seek help from the Scottish and UK Governments over the 'considerable' cost of policing the visit.
It has also asked for support from Northern Ireland's police force, the PSNI.
There had been speculation the King would host the American leader in Scotland after a meeting was suggested at Balmoral or Dumfries House, in a letter he wrote to Mr Trump in February inviting him to make the state visit.
But it is understood that both sides will wait until the president's official state visit later this year.
Police Scotland's Assistant Chief Constable Emma Bond said: 'We are working closely with the Scottish Police Federation to address any concerns they may have.'
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: 'There are well established processes for any UK-based police services to request support from other services at times of peak demand.
'These requests are managed via the National Police Co-ordination Centre (NPoCC) and we can confirm that PSNI have received a request to provide mutual aid to Police Scotland which we are currently assessing.
'The decision to provide officers under the mutual aid process will be considered against our own demands, ensuring that we retain the capacity to respond effectively to local issues and maintain our own operational competence.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Israel-Gaza war live: European nations debate recognition of Palestine as starvation spreads in Gaza
Israel-Gaza war live: European nations debate recognition of Palestine as starvation spreads in Gaza

The Guardian

time8 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Israel-Gaza war live: European nations debate recognition of Palestine as starvation spreads in Gaza

Update: Date: 2025-07-26T07:53:49.000Z Title: European nations debate Palestinian state recognition Content: European nations are becoming split on the question of whether to recognise a Palestinian state, as the desperate situation in Gaza continues. Britain's prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls to immediately recognise a Palestinian state, after some 221 MPs signed a letter urging the British Government to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the UN next week. While the PM said he was 'unequivocal' about wanting to see a Palestinian state, he insisted this needed to be part of a 'wider plan which ultimately results in a two-state solution and lasting security for Palestinians and Israelis'. Italy's prime minister Giorgia Meloni said on Saturday that recognising the State of Palestine before it is established could be counterproductive. 'I am very much in favour of the State of Palestine but I am not in favour of recognising it prior to establishing it,' Meloni told Italian daily La Repubblica. 'If something that doesn't exist is recognised on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn't,' Meloni added. A German government spokesperson said on Friday that Berlin was not planning to recognise a Palestinian state in the short term and said its priority now is to make 'long-overdue progress' towards a two-state solution. It comes after French President Emmanuel Macron drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States when he announced France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly. Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convincing other partners to follow suit. According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states - including France - now recognise the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988. Meanwhile today: The Israeli military said a 'projectile' was fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on Saturday. 'A projectile was identified crossing the Gaza Strip from the south and most likely falling in an open area,' the military said in a statement, adding that there were no injuries reported. Four Palestinian-Americans have been killed in the occupied West Bank since the war in Gaza began and their families are losing hope for justice. They told AP Israel and its law enforcement have made them feel like culprits - by imposing travel bans and, in some cases, detaining and interrogating them. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Friday his government was considering 'alternative options' to ceasefire talks with Hamas after Israel and the US recalled their negotiating teams, throwing the future of the negotiations into further uncertainty. Netanyahu's statement came as a Hamas official said negotiations were expected to resume next week and portrayed the recall of the Israeli and American delegations as a pressure tactic.

Why Starmer has more to worry about than his inability to play golf when he meets Trump at Turnberry
Why Starmer has more to worry about than his inability to play golf when he meets Trump at Turnberry

The Independent

time9 minutes ago

  • The Independent

Why Starmer has more to worry about than his inability to play golf when he meets Trump at Turnberry

Keir Starmer has confided that he has never played golf before, which may prove to be a problem when he holds a bilateral with Donald Trump at the US president's Turnberry course in Scotland on Monday. The location partially explains the nervous energy around the prime minister when he discusses this last-minute arranged meeting as Trump spends a few days relaxing at his own Scottish courses. 'Golf is not something you can pick up in a weekend,' a source close to the PM said, envisaging the two holding their bilateral around 18 holes on the championship course. But a potential crash course in golf is the least of Sir Keir's concerns as he prepares for yet another crucial bilatera l with a US president he has struck up a politically unlikely friendship with. Top of the agenda will be the steel industry followed by Ukraine and Gaza - all issues where Sir Keir and Trump still seem far apart. Men of steel If sorting out the trade deal was the equivalent of a green on a golf course, Starmer would be on his third attempt with the putter trying to sink a ball which initially rolled invitingly near to the flag. Already we have effectively had two signing ceremonies for a trade agreement to tackle Trump's 'freedom day' tariffs. The first occasion in May when it was described as 'the big and beautiful deal' seemed to have resolved almost everything. Then nothing happened until the two men appeared together in Canada last month with a signed deal which the president almost immediately fumbled on to the floor. But even after that there was one crucial issue left over - steel. Trump put tariffs of 25 per cent on steel and then increased them to 50 per cent for the rest of the world, with a threat that the UK would go from 25 to 50 per cent if it did not sort the issue out. Time is running out and with the taxpayer now in hock to the future of British Steel and the entire industry staring at a precipice, Starmer needs to get the zero per cent tariff he was promised back in May. Unfortunately, there appears to be no immediate sign of that happening. Palestinian recognition There is a lot of speculation within Labour this weekend that Keir Starmer wants to recognise the state of Palestine as French president Emmanuel Macron did on Thursday. But he cannot do it until after he has had his meeting with Trump - otherwise the inevitable row over it would dominate proceedings. US secretary of state Marco Rubio made it clear that the US was disgusted with France and thought Macron was 'rewarding terrorism' by Hamas. A similar angry view would be taken with the UK. But the two do need to discuss the issues with the crisis coming to a head. Somehow Trump's enthusiasm for brokering a ceasefire there needs to be renewed and some think Starmer is the man to do that. His ability to boost the president's ego has become the blueprint for international leaders to deal with the second Trump term. Without US leadership there is a danger that the war will just go on and thousands of people trapped in Gaza will simply starve to death. In many ways Starmer will be speaking for the so-called E3 group of UK, France and Germany on the issue after the emergency phone call with Macron and German chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday. Not forgetting Ukraine The Middle East may not even be Starmer's biggest international priority in these talks. He is desperate for a solution to the Ukraine problem and recently with Macron and Merz has been pushing ahead with the 'coalition of the willing' to provide a safeguard for Ukraine after a peace deal. He and Macron announced new details and plans for the coalition of the willing after the French president's recent state visit. But they are moving ahead without the one thing they need - a promise by the US to back them up militarily if things go wrong. Trump has resisted this idea, much preferring to get a share of Ukraine's mineral resources. He has shown no interest at all in Starmer's plan. But the British prime minister needs to somehow to get him on side on Monday. The State Visit While this is a private trip for Trump to look at his personal business interests (play golf on his own courses), it is a precursor to a much bigger visit in September. The invitation for a state visit came from the King and was delivered by his prime minister but details of the political side of the historic trip will be discussed. There may be an awkward moment regarding why Macron got to address a joint sitting of the Houses of Parliament and Trump will not. The excuse that it is the day after Parliament rises does not hold water because MPs and peers came back to hear the late Pope Benedict address them in 2010 in identical circumstances. There will be no shortage of rightwing British Trump friends visiting him over the next few days, including Nigel Farage and fellow Brexit bad boy Andy Wigmore, who will point out that others were treated better. How Starmer can win over Trump It is understood that the prime minister came up with a solution to deal with the diplomatic problem of having to play golf, at a recent social event in Westminster. 'We toss a coin. If the president wins we play golf, if I win we play football,' the PM is understood to have suggested. Given how much Trump enjoyed himself with Chelsea players after presenting the World Club Cup to them, that may be a solution. But it is going to take more than a coin flip for Sir Keir to persuade the president on these other issues. The one thing that matters though is that Trump values relationships and trusts people who are straight with him and give him their trust. Back at the G7 in Canada Trump made it clear that the UK will do well with him because he likes Starmer. He said: 'The UK is very well protected. You know why? Because I like them. The prime minister has done a really good job. He has done what other people have been talking about for six years and he has done it.' Starmer is going to need all the charm that he seems to have reserved for his international duties to get what he wants on Monday. But recent history suggests that it could all be within his grasp.

Donald Trump set to hit golf course on first day of Scottish visit
Donald Trump set to hit golf course on first day of Scottish visit

Scotsman

time9 minutes ago

  • Scotsman

Donald Trump set to hit golf course on first day of Scottish visit

Protests are expected in Edinburgh and Aberdeen today following the arrival of the US president Sign up to our Politics newsletter 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... US President Donald Trump is expected to spend much of his first day in Scotland on the golf course after sweeping into Turnberry last night. Mr Trump drew crowds to Prestwick Airport on Friday evening as Air Force One touched down ahead of a four-day visit that will also take him to the club his family owns in Aberdeenshire. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With a meeting scheduled with European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer understood to be making the trip north on Monday, Mr Trump – a well-known golf enthusiast – appears to be free to play the vaunted Turnberry course on Saturday. But elsewhere, Scots will be protesting against the visit. Getty Images The Stop Trump Coalition has announced demonstrations in Edinburgh – near the American consulate in the Scottish capital – and another in Aberdeen in the days before his visit there. As he landed in Ayrshire on Friday, the president took questions from journalists, telling Europe to 'get your act together' on immigration, which he said was 'killing' the continent. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He also praised Sir Keir, who he described as a 'good man', who is 'slightly more liberal than I am'. Saturday will be the first real test of Police Scotland during the visit as it looks to control the demonstrations in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as well as any which spring up near to the president's course. The force has asked for support from others around the UK to bolster officer numbers, with both organisations representing senior officers and the rank-and-file claiming there is likely to be an impact on policing across the country for the duration of the visit.

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