Security 'guarantees' for Ukraine are not clear enough
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STV News
8 minutes ago
- STV News
Police paid £500,000 last month as compensation to officers missing time off
Police Scotland has had to pay officers £500,000 in compensation for not being able to get time off last month alone. With US President Donald Trump visiting Scotland in July, and his Vice-President JD Vance also holidaying in the country in August, deputy chief constable Jane Connors said it has been a 'very busy summer for policing in Scotland'. She said Police Scotland, together with others, including police forces across the UK, had 'ensured safety and security across a range of events, most notably the visit to Scotland of the president of the United States Donald Trump and the vice-president JD Vance'. She stressed that at the same time as such events, 'day-to-day policing continued for our communities'. She told a Scottish Police Authority meeting on Thursday: 'It does put pressure on our resources and our staff who we know are very tired after a long summer.' Deputy chief constable Alan Speirs went on to tell the meeting that in July alone – the month of Trump's visit – the force spent £500,000 to 'buy back' time off in lieu (Toil) from officers who had been unable to take this time because of the demands on the police. Police Scotland mounted a major operation when the US president spent several days in Scotland in July, with Trump holding talks with both UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Swinney as he visited his golf resorts in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire. Less than a month later, officers were needed to help with security arrangements when Mr Vance and his family flew in as part of their holiday. Mr Speirs explained police can either receive overtime payments, or if given Toil have three months to take this before Police Scotland buys the time back from them. He told the SPA meeting in Glasgow: 'Regrettably the spend for us in the month of July alone was £0.5 million because officers weren't able to get the time back, which to me demonstrates there is a real demand on the service and it is largely through events. 'The trend around Toil is quite significant, so we will continue to look at that on a monthly basis. 'It is a growing challenge for us, to manage that element of the budget. 'We don't want officers at work when they should be off, so it is regrettable that we're in that position of having to compensate them through payment for things like Toil.' His comments came as Ms Connors told the SPA board meeting about the pressures on the force, saying police are dealing with an 'increase in the volume of challenging protests and counter protests'. In addition, she said there are now more football matches that require to be policed. 'Games that would be police free, we are now having to police,' the senior officer said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
White House tours cancelled to make way for construction of Trump's ballroom
Tours of the White House are postponed 'indefinitely' as construction is set to begin on President Donald Trump's $200 million ballroom. The new event space, which the president has said he is funding himself, will be built on the site of the White House's East Wing, between the Executive Residence and Treasury Department headquarters. Construction is due to begin on September 1, according to notices on the websites of some members of Congress. Members of the public who had booked trips to Washington, D.C. to tour the White House next month have received cancellation notices, which can often occur at short notice. However, it remains unclear when the tours will start up again this time. 'Beginning on September 1st, 2025, the White House will be undergoing extensive renovations,' a statement on Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman's website reads. 'As a result, all tours of the White House are postponed indefinitely.' Congressional staffers, familiar with the booking procedure for White House tours, told The Washington Post that the Trump administration stopped offering new dates for October around mid-July and did not offer a reason. 'Unfortunately, the White House has canceled and is no longer accepting tour requests for the month of September due to the construction of a new ballroom on the White House grounds,' one email to a disappointed constituent read, according to the outlet. 'I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and understand how this may be disappointing news.' The Independent has contacted the White House for comment. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobucher criticized the administration for cancelling on 'millions' who hoped to tour the building. 'Seriously? School trips. Families. All shut out indefinitely for the building of a ballroom?' Kloubucher wrote in a post on X. 'Are the millions they cancelled on all going to be invited back for a ball?' People expressed their disappointment about the cancellations on social media. One user in a Reddit channel about D.C. travel tips complained that they booked a tour for their birthday 'through the appropriate channels' but were notified last week that it was canceled. 'Once approved I purchased my wife and I's flight and hotel and this morning I ended up getting this email. After spending several thousands of dollars and taking the time off is it even worth taking the trip out there with all the B.S going on?' the user wrote, appearing to reference Trump's federal takeover of D.C. 'I just called to schedule a tour and was told because of the upcoming renovations, all tours are on hold and nothing could be booked,' another person complained on Facebook. Some social media users noted that the White House tour 'isn't even that good' and advised visitors to check out the People's House, monuments and free museums the city has to offer instead. 'I've done the white house tour several times (local so I go with visitors) and it's really not that great,' one D.C. resident advised a disappointed visitor on a Facebook thread. 'You don't see a whole lot and it's so much effort for max 1 hour of touring.' 'I was super excited for the White House tour during our trip and it turned out to be a bit underwhelming,' another said. 'Waiting in the queue was long (around 90 mins for us) and the actual tour was about 30 mins. You don't get to roam free, you follow a guided path and before you know it, you're already at the exit.' 'Mine was also canceled. We ended up at The Peoples House and then hopped over to the visitor center,' another person said. 'We had the best time and truly think it ended up being better for kids than the tour!' Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has given the historic building a makeover that is more to his taste. His 'gold guy,' a cabinetmaker he previously employed at Mar-a-Lago, was drafted into the Oval Office. Now the iconic room is furnished with lashings of gold. Trump has also paved over the Kennedy Rose Garden so that it resembles his Palm Beach social club.
The Independent
10 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump nominated US Attorney mysteriously resigns after just a month on the job
Todd Gilbert, who President Donald Trump nominated to be U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, has mysteriously resigned as the office's interim leader just a month after being sworn in. Gilbert's departure was confirmed by spokesperson Brian McGinn at 5 p.m. on Wednesday without further explanation. McGinn did say that Gilbert would be replaced by his deputy, Robert Tracci, but otherwise did not provide further details on the upheaval. Gilbert himself has not issued any statement about his resignation, but did post a meme from Anchorman (2004) of Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) sipping a bottle of beer after a mass brawl with several rival news crews and reflecting: 'Boy, that escalated quickly!' He also replied to one commenter responding to the meme and inquiring about his well-being by saying simply: 'All good. Thank you.' The Independent has reached out to both Gilbert and McGinn for clarity on the situation, with the latter replying to say that he had 'simply confirmed, when asked,' that the former had resigned and been succeeded by Tracci: 'Outside of that, I have no additional information.' Trump, Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and the state's Democratic senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner had all enthusiastically recommended Gilbert for the role. He was duly appointed by Attorney General Pam Bondi on an interim basis, allowing him to get to work even without being confirmed by the U.S. Senate. He was sworn in on July 14 by U.S. District Court Judge Thomas T Cullen. Gilbert was previously a Shenandoah Valley state lawmaker and the Republican speaker of Virginia's House of Delegates. 'I bring to this job truly the heart of a prosecutor,' he said in an interview with The Roanoke Times on his first day on the job. 'Even though I've been out of the game for a while,' he said, alluding to his political career, 'I feel like I've been waiting for the opportunity to do that again. 'I never imagined that it would be something as impactful as the U.S. Attorney, but I'm grateful for the opportunity the president has given me.' 'My main priority is not to mess up a good thing,' he added.
