Ex-justice secretary demands UK pay for Trump's visit

The Alba Party leader made the comments as Mr Trump has said he is looking forward to meeting First Minister John Swinney with the pair expected to meet during the president's four-day trip to Scotland, which begins tonight.

Mr Trump will visit both of the golf clubs he owns in the country - Turnberry in South Ayrshire and Menie, near Aberdeen, in the coming days. He is also due to meet Prime Minister Keir Starmer during his visit.

Before boarding the presidential plane Air Force One to fly to Scotland, the US President told journalists: "The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him." He also said he has a "lot of love" for Scotland.

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Billed as a private visit, the trip comes ahead of the state visit, expected to take place in September, when Mr Trump will meet the King. Despite that, the president’s visit will prove a huge logistical challenge for Police Scotland, with the national force calling in support from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

Earlier this week, both the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, and the Association of Scottish Police Superintendents raised concerns about the pressure being put on policing by the arrival of the US leader.

In a statement Mr MacAskill said: "We are seeing our police service drained, front line policing undermined and officers burned out as a result of the pressures being put on Police Scotland to police the Trump visit to Scotland. 
 

"The private visit is only taking place because Sir [[Keir Starmer]] wanted the visit to take place away from Parliament. Therefore it is only right and proper that full cost reimbursement for the massive policing costs of the Trump visit should be met from the coffers of the UK and not the Scottish Government. 
 

“The UK Government met the core costs when world leaders came to Scotland for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and that is the very least that should happen now. 
 

“But this private trip is only happening because the UK Government have invited Trump to the UK and so they should meet the full costs. 

 “We must not have the double whammy of our police services being stretched while at the same time the Scottish Government having to pick up the massive costs of policing the Trump visit. That is why the UK Government must meet the full costs for the visit and the disruption which they have imposed on Scotland.”

Speaking to the PA news agency ahead of the visit on Friday, Mr Swinney said the meeting will be "an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on international issues such as Gaza, as well as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland.

"There are clearly also significant international issues upon which the people of Scotland have a view and want to have that view expressed by their First Minister," he said.

"That relates to the awfulness of the situation in Gaza and the unbearable human suffering that is going on in Gaza.

"I want to make sure that those concerns and those views are expressed to the president of the United States.

"We have that opportunity, and I intend to take that opportunity to make sure that Scotland's voice is heard."

Mr Swinney also urged all of those set to protest against the president's visit to do so "peacefully and to do so within the law".

A UK Government spokeswoman said: “There are established processes for considering the policing costs of visits to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by foreign dignitaries.”