Latest news with #Ayrshire
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump uses press conference with Starmer to boost his golf business
Donald Trump has delivered a rambling exposition on his 'opulent and beautiful' golf resort at Turnberry as he continued to mix granular business interests and international diplomacy on his five-day trip to Scotland. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, looked on in apparent discomfort during Monday's joint press conference as Trump answered a question initially pitched about the expense of refurbishing the Federal Reserve's historic building with a lengthy detour about the maintenance on his luxury golfresort. Praising the 'great craftsmen' of Ayrshire on Scotland's west coast, he described spending 'probably $100m [£74m]' on the hotel: 'We did a very great job. You see how beautiful it is? 'We had ceilings that were in bad shape. They were falling down. It was very old. It wasn't properly maintained. Now it's brand new and beautiful, and we saved everything. If you look outside, it's equally opulent and beautiful.' With Trump's use of this visit to further his business interests already in the spotlight, Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, faced significant criticism after announcing that his government was in talks to provide £180,000 of public funding for the Aberdeenshire resort as it hosts the 2025 Nexo championship on the DP World Tour next month. The US president earlier used his trip to repeat his call for the Open championship to return to Turnberry, declaring it 'the best resort in the world'. Asked about the Open at Monday's joint press conference, Starmer said 'the decision on the Open is not a decision for me' but was swift to praise Turnberry as 'absolutely magnificent, both inside and out'. Starmer's comments came after the Guardian revealed that senior Whitehall officials had asked golf bosses whether they could host the 2028 Open at Turnberry after Trump's repeated requests. US ethics experts later said doing so could break the US constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval. Swinney has refused to confirm the cost of policing Trump's visit, saying he remains in discussion with the UK government, but many critics have questioned why – as one Aberdeenshire protester put it on Monday – 'our taxes are paying for his holiday'. Leading a hundred-strong protest at Trump's imminent arrival at his Menie resort in the nearby village of Balmedie, Alena Ivanova of the Stop Trump Coalition Scotland said: 'It was very clear from the beginning that this trip was about Trump benefiting himself.' She also urged people to 'consider the reality' of Trump's business interests in Aberdeenshire. The Menie resort was built after a bitter and protracted dispute with local people and environmentalists, who fought to save the rare sand dunes and their own dwellings which Trump declared an eyesore. When he eventually won planning permission he promised a £1bn coastal resort including expansive courses, luxury housing and high-rise timeshare flats – promises that many locals point out have yet to be fulfilled. Ivanova said: 'Trump was supposed to build a £1bn development with accommodation for local people. There were supposed to be a thousand jobs, so far there have barely been a hundred. 'The Scottish government was hoodwinked into agreeing proposals that were previously turned down by the local council and the promises have not materialised.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
What we know about Trump and Starmer's meeting in Scotland
From trade deals to Gaza, here is what Keir Starmer is expected to discuss with Donald Trump at the US president's Ayrshire golf course. Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump have discussed a range of issues including the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and tariffs as the two world leaders met in Scotland. The US president hosted the prime minister at his Turnberry golf resort in Ayrshire on Monday near the end of his four-day visit to Scotland. The two leaders discussed securing food supplies into Gaza and efforts to reach a ceasefire deal, how to bring fighting in Ukraine to a halt, and whether or not the UK will be given more relief from US tariffs. One day after Trump announced he had agreed "biggest deal ever made' between the US and the European Union on Sunday, Starmer has been looking to secure a reduction on 25% tariffs on imported British steel. A deal still didn't appear to be on the cards at Monday's meeting, although Trump hinted that the UK would know "pretty soon" whether steel tariffs would be reduced, eliminated or raised to 50% as the US has for other countries. Here, Yahoo News takes a look at Trump's meeting with Starmer and what the two leaders discussed. Why is Trump here? Trump has been visiting his mother's ancestral homeland of Scotland since Friday for a mixture of business and pleasure. The president has been pictured playing golf at his Turnberry course in South Ayrshire and was also expected to visit his other course on the Menie Estate, north of Aberdeen, during his visit. He is expected to fly back to Washington on Tuesday (29 July), following his meetings on Monday with Starmer and Scotland's first minister John Swinney. Later on Monday, Trump will meet SNP leader Swinney, before the pair hold more formal talks on Tuesday as Trump prepares to open a new golf course in Aberdeenshire. Swinney has vowed to press Trump to exempt Scotch whisky from US trade tariffs, which he says are currently costing the local industry £4m a week. Swinney also promised to raise the situation in Gaza with Trump, as it was 'causing deep unease and concern and heartbreak within Scotland'. Asked during his meeting with Starmer about the SNP's push for a second Scottish independence referendum, Trump said he has heard "great things" about Swinney but that he does not want to "get involved" in UK domestic politics. Is this a state visit? This four-day trip is not a state visit, although Trump is scheduled to make a state visit to the UK between 17 and 19 September. It will be a historic first, as Trump is the first elected leader in modern history to be invited back for a second state visit to the UK – the first being in 2019 during his first term as president. The full details of the visit have not yet been released, but it will include a full ceremonial welcome and a state banquet at St George's Hall in Windsor Castle. There had been speculation the King would host Trump in Scotland at Balmoral or Dumfries House, after Charles wrote a letter to him in February inviting him to a state visit. However, it is understood that with the state visit scheduled just a few months later, both sides had agreed to wait until the formal gathering. Anti-Trump campaigners have said they plan to stage a mass demonstration in central London on the first day of his trip. Speaking on Monday (28 July), Trump brushed off suggestions he had been snubbed due to his visit being scheduled for party conference season, meaning he won't have a chance to address Parliament. 'As far as Parliament, if he wants me to speak in Parliament, I'll do it. But it doesn't have to be then, it could be some other time. Maybe we should save it for another time," he told reporters. What have Trump and Starmer been discussing? Starmer and his wife, Lady Victoria Starmer, were greeted with bagpipes as they arrived at Turnberry shortly before 1pm ahead of talks with Trump. Trump said the US and UK's so-called special relationship was "unparalleled" as the trio stood on the steps of his hotel before going inside for their meeting. On the two leaders' efforts to arm Ukraine and force Russia to the negotiating table, Trump suggested he would reduce a 50-day deadline for Moscow to agree to a ceasefire down to "about 10 or 12 days from today". "There is no reason in waiting", he said, adding that he was "very disappointed" with Putin's continuation of the war. Trump also praised Starmer's 'very strong stand on immigration' in an apparent reference to the UK's recent deal to return some migrants who arrive via the English Channel back to France. "Europe is going to is a much different place than it was just five years ago, 10 years ago," he said. "They've got to get their act together. "If they don't, you're not going to have Europe anymore, as you know it, and you can't do that. This is a magnificent part of the world, and you cannot ruin it." When asked about tariffs on Scotch whisky, Trump said: 'We'll talk about that, I didn't know whisky was a problem. I'm not a big whisky drinker but maybe I should be.' Beyond whisky, Trump hinted during the meeting that the UK will know 'pretty soon' whether or not tariffs on steel will increase to 50%, remain at 25% where they currently stand, or be eliminated. "These people are tough negotiators, OK. We're a big buyer of steel, but we're going to make our own steel and we're going to make our own aluminium for the most part," he said. "But we buy a lot of aluminium from right here and a lot of steel too." When the UK and US signed a trade deal in June, it reduced tariffs on car and aerospace imports to the US, but an agreement on a similar arrangement for Britain's steel imports was not reached. Concerns in the US over steel products made elsewhere in the world, then finished in the UK, are said to be among the sticking points on which Starmer will attempt to make progress. Trump also hinted that the US may not impose heavy tariffs on British pharmaceuticals, despite a plan to bring more of the industry's production back to the United States, telling reporters: "We certainly feel a lot better with your country working on pharmaceuticals for America than some of the other countries that were." Efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and address the starvation among the Palestinian territory's population was also on Monday's agenda, with Starmer saying people were "revolted at what they are seeing on their screens". Speaking to reporters, Trump said 'other nations are going to have to step up', adding that the US recently provided $60m worth of food for Gaza and that "nobody even said thank you". 'No other nation gave money, I know the prime minister would, if he knew about it. And he really knows about it now, because we're going to be discussing it," he added. Click below to see the latest Scotland headlines During his meeting with Starmer, Trump said Hamas has become "very difficult to deal with in the last couple of days" because they "don't want to give up" the last 20 living hostages. 'We know where they have them, in some cases, and you don't want to go riding roughshod over that area, because that means those hostages will be killed," he said. The prime minister has condemned Israel for restricting the flow of aid into the territory, alongside the leaders of France and Germany. Washington has been far less critical of Israel, having provided money to the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which has been criticised over the security of its distribution sites, as Palestinians have allegedly be shot at by Israeli troops as they attempt to collect aid. Trump told reporters that the US would set up food centres in Gaza without fences, where "people can walk in" with "no boundaries". 'We're going to supply funds, and we just took in trillions of dollars, we have a lot of money and we're going to spend a little money on some food," he said. 'And other nations are joining us. I know your nation's joining us, and we have all of the European nations joining us, and others also called and they want to be helpful." Despite their strong working relationship, there was an awkward moment between the pair inside Trump's hotel when he described London's Labour Mayor Sadiq Khan as a 'nasty person' who has done 'a terrible job'. "He's a friend of mine, actually," Starmer said, to which Trump replied: "I think he's done a terrible job. But I would certainly visit London." Trump also waded into UK domestic politics by saying he backed North Sea oil and gas, branding wind turbines 'ugly monsters'. After their meeting the two leaders will travel on together to a private engagement in Aberdeen. Read more US and EU agree trade deal - with bloc facing 15% tariffs on goods into America (Sky News) Palestinian state recognition is a one shot opportunity for Starmer – but what does he want to achieve? (The Independent) Scottish Secretary to give Donald Trump 'warm welcome' (The Telegraph) Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
STEPHEN DAISLEY President made Starmer look small and shifty... he's like a new leader of the opposition
Keir Starmer and Donald Trump are like one of those couples on a TV matchmaker competition who are so wildly incompatible you just know they'll end up going on the most awkward date ever. And it was awkward, all right. Nobbled by the hacks on the way into their press conference at Trump's golf course at Turnberry in Ayrshire, the prime minister might have been hoping his unlikely companion would wave off the questions and head inside. A quick off the record natter and down to business. Like that was going to happen. This is Donald Trump. He is drawn to TV cameras like overmanned dinghies are drawn to Dover. Naturally, the question was the last one Starmer wanted: immigration. He yapped pathetically about the deportations carried out since he came to power, while Trump steamrollered ahead with a lengthy jeremiad about how migrants had changed Europe. 'Europe is a much different place than it was five years, ten years ago,' he rambled. 'They've got to get their act together. If they don't, you're not going to have Europe anymore as you know it. You can't do that.' Truly, this was a historic summit. The first presidential visit to be recorded as a non-crime hate incident. Once inside, the prime minister and the president sat in tandem to field questions from the media. The pairing was bizarre, the tension palpable, every second breathtaking. It's a wonder it wasn't blocked under the Online Safety Act. Like all doomed couples, they couldn't see eye to eye on their friends. 'I'm not a fan of your mayor,' Trump opined to a reporter. 'I think he's done a terrible job. The mayor of London. He's a nasty person.' Starmer's face fell like his poll numbers. With a nervous chuckle in his voice, he chirped: 'He's a friend of mine.' Trump stared ahead, deadpan: 'No, he's done a terrible job — but I would still visit London.' Starmer cringed. The only thing missing was the theme tune from Curb Your Enthusiasm. Mark Twain called golf 'a good walk spoiled', but he was talking out of his hole-in-one. This was pure entertainment. I still reckon a birdie is something in the sky and bogey the bloke in Casablanca, but if every golf club puts on a show like this, sign me up. Every time Trump went on a verbal wander around his own thoughts, Starmer sat gape-mouthed, which was helpful since it gave the president somewhere to stick his foot every minute or so. The prime minister looked almost relieved to take a question on farming and inheritance tax, no doubt assuming even Trump couldn't find a way to mess this up for him. Then the president began recounting how he had removed the estate tax from family farms, mindful that farmers like to keep their land in the family and noting the increased risks of suicide where they were not allowed to do so. Starmer, whose government plans to whomp British farms with new death taxes, sat there in stoney silence. Excruciating doesn't begin to cover it. I get secondary embarrassment very easily. The sight of someone else humiliated has my cheeks smouldering like volcanoes. It's just too agonising to watch. I bit through so many fingernails yesterday afternoon I skipped dinner entirely. The lowest moment for Starmer came when a journalist asked: 'The president makes it look easy dealing with illegal migrants. You must be envious of his record in such a short period of time.' Starmer squirmed like an eel in a well-tailored suit, acknowledging the issue and the importance of tackling it. Trump beamed in satisfaction. Finally, someone from the media who wasn't Fake News. The discussion turned to internet censorship, as Trump learned that new powers would allow the nation to shut down his Truth Social network. 'I don't think he's going to censor my site because I only say nice things,' he insisted, turning to Starmer and pleading: 'Will you please uncensor my site?' The prime minister explained, in a excitable word jumble, that there were no plans to suppress Truth Social and maintained the new laws were aimed at protecting children. Asked if he could give Starmer any tips for beating Nigel Farage, Trump recommended tax cuts, cracking down on crime and curbing illegal immigration. Starmer was as impassive as a statue. All three were popular policies in Britain, but now if he did anyone of them he would be seen as taking Trump's advice. The president then congratulated Starmer for 'becoming strong on immigration'. As if he didn't have enough problems with the parliamentary Labour party, now he'd have to explain why Bad Orange Man was bigging up his border policies. Every time Trump threw Starmer a rope it had a noose on the end. Then we came to the wind mills. The president is famously not a fan. Probably intimidated by the only creations that generate more hot air than him. 'When we go to Aberdeen,' he mused, drifting off on a tangent, 'they have some of the ugliest windmills you've ever seen.' These 'ugly monsters', he told the viewers at home, had a lifespan of eight years, would have to be dumped in the ocean, and required 'massive subsidies' to sustain them. He had stopped as many in the US as he could. Alas, some 'poor stupid people' had approved a number of them before he came along. Starmer, who approves of windmills, didn't seem to like that. There was the mildest of twitches in his otherwise disciplined facial expression. His countenance was that of a condemned prisoner having his death warrant read out and wishing they would just skip to the shooting. Trump proposed an alternative energy source, one that involved creating only a hole in the ground 'this big' — he cupped his hands by way of illustration. He was talking about drilling the North Sea bed for oil. At this juncture, Starmer looked like he would happily climb into a hole in the sea, anything to escape this televised torture. Trump is awful, of course, but he's a wonderful kind of awful. He's that friend everyone has who is a bit of a rogue but so damn charming you can't resist them. Watching one of his press conferences is like being present at a bomb disposal operation. You find yourself fixated on his every word, tic, breath and flutter of the eyes, knowing that, any second now, he could cut the wrong wire and blow everyone to kingdom come. Mercifully, the press conference concluded without any detonations, but the prime minister still looked shellshocked. Without really trying Trump had made him look small and shifty, doing a number on his credibility that Kemi Badenoch would struggle to manage. The man's only been in the country a few days and already he's the new leader of the opposition. The Labour leader wasn't the only politician left reeling by Trump's restless tongue. The president proposed that there not be another referendum on Scottish independence for 50 or 75 years. Given how slow progress is under John Swinney, the SNP rank and file should take Trump up on his offer. The political class resents Trump and, yes, he is vulgar, crass, short-tempered and toweringly arrogant, but he speaks in a plain, direct language never heard in British politics. There's no artifice there. He's too much of an egomaniac for that. But for all his flaws, two men sat before the world's press yesterday and while one could brag about his successes in office the other could only squirm.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Trump uses press conference with Starmer to boost his golfing business
Donald Trump has delivered a rambling exposition on his 'opulent and beautiful'golfing resort at Turnberry, as he continued to mix granular business interests and international diplomacy on his five-day trip to Scotland. The UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, looked on in apparent discomfort during Monday's scheduled joint press conference as Trump answered a question initially pitched about the expense of refurbishing the Federal Reserve's historic building with a lengthy detour about the maintenance on his luxury golfing resort. Praising the 'great craftsmen' of Ayrshire, on Scotland's west coast, he described spending 'probably $100m [£74m]' on the hotel: 'We did a very great job. You see how beautiful it is? 'We had ceilings that were in bad shape. They were falling down. It was very old. It wasn't properly maintained. Now it's brand new and beautiful, and we saved everything. If you look outside, it's equally opulent and beautiful.' With Trump's use of this visit to further his business interests already in the spotlight, Scotland's first minister, John Swinney, faced significant criticism after announcing that his government was in talks to provide £180,000 of public funding for the Aberdeenshire resort as it hosts the 2025 Nexo championship on the DP World Tour next month. The US president earlier used his trip to repeat his call for the Open Championship to return to Turnberry, declaring his course 'the best resort in the world'. Asked about the Open at Monday's joint press conference, Starmer said 'the decision on the Open is not a decision for me' but was swift to praise Turnberry as 'absolutely magnificent, both inside and out'. Starmer's comments came after the Guardian revealed that senior Whitehall officials had asked golf bosses whether they could host the 2028 Open at Turnberry after Trump's repeated requests. US ethics experts later said doing so could break the US constitution's emoluments clause, which prohibits federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval. Swinney has refused to confirm the cost of policing Trump's visit, saying he remains in discussion with the UK government, but many critics have questioned why – as one Aberdeenshire protester put it on Monday – 'our taxes are paying for his holiday'. Leading a hundred-strong protest at Trump's imminent arrival at his Menie resort in the nearby village of Balmedie, Alena Ivanova of the Stop Trump Coalition Scotland said: 'It was very clear from the beginning that this trip was about Trump benefiting himself.' She also urged people to 'consider the reality' of Trump's business interests in Aberdeenshire. The Menie resort was built after a bitter and protracted dispute with local people and environmentalists, who fought to save the rare sand dunes and their own dwellings which Trump declared an eyesore. When Trump eventually won planning permission he promised a £1bn coastal resort including expansive courses, luxury housing and high-rise timeshare flats – promises that many locals point out have yet to be fulfilled. Ivanova said: 'Trump was supposed to build a £1 billion development with accommodation for local people. There were supposed to be a thousand jobs, so far there have barely been a hundred.' 'The Scottish government was hoodwinked into agreeing proposals that were previously turned down by the local council and the promises have not materialised.'
Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Times
Forget DC — Trump makes Turnberry capital of the world (briefly)
A world leader arriving at a grand Scottish estate to the sound of bagpipes — it's the kind of honour one expects to be bestowed on a foreign dignitary on an official trip to the United Kingdom. Instead, on Monday it was Sir Keir Starmer receiving this special treatment after President Trump invited him to his golf course at Turnberry, Ayrshire. The American leader found himself playing host to a British prime minister on British soil. Forget Washington, Westminster or Brussels — this week anyone wanting to get something done needed to navigate their way to the west coast of Scotland for a stay at the president's 800-acre estate. Over the past few days world leaders, the Maga faithful and a travelling press pack have rubbed shoulders with golfers, locals and paying guests at the property. Caps reading 'Mega' (Make Europe Great Again), 'USA' and ' Trump' became a regular sight on the golf course.
