UK Government pledges to foot £5m bill for Donald Trump Scotland visit
2 min read
UK ministers have said they will pay up to £5m on policing costs should Donald Trump visit Scotland to play golf.
The US President is expected to visit at least one of his Scottish golf courses during a visit to the UK to meet with Theresa May and the Queen next week.
Police Scotland’s interim chief constable Iain Livingstone warned last week that mass protests against the controversial US President could result in 5000 police officers being needed to keep the peace.
The police chief warned Holyrood MSPs that they could face a £5m bill after shifts had been rearranged and rest days cancelled to ensure that there was up to 24 hours of cover available.
But UK ministers have now confirmed that they will stump up the cash needed to properly police the visit after newly-appointed Scottish Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said it was “completely unacceptable” for taxpayers north of the border to foot the bill.
Treasury minister Liz Truss confirmed that although policing was an issue run by Holyrood ministers the “ring-fenced funding” would be made available should the visit go ahead.
“Policing is a devolved mater in Scotland”, she said.
“However, on an exceptional basis, I can confirm that the Treasury would provide ring-fenced funding of up to £5m to cover costs incurred by Police Scotland should a visit from the President be confirmed.”
Speaking after the climbdown, Mr Yousaf said: “This is a welcome decision given that President Trump is coming to the UK on the invitation of the UK Government.
“However, we should not have had to force this decision – and there should never have been an assumption that the Scottish Government would pick up the tab.”
“Although a visit to Scotland has not yet been confirmed, we continue to plan for every eventuality with our key partners including Police Scotland.”
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted that the decision was a “big result”, adding that it proved Mr Yousaf was “standing up for Scotland’s police.”
PoliticsHome Newsletters
PoliticsHome provides the most comprehensive coverage of UK politics anywhere on the web, offering high quality original reporting and analysis: Subscribe
