Security tightens as Donald Trump tees off at Turnberry
The president has said "it's great to be in Scotland" and has praised the leaders of both governments.A number of protests are expected to be held to coincide with the visit, including demonstrations in Edinburgh and Aberdeen later.Questions have already been raised about the scale of the visit and the security implications, with police representatives raising concerns about the costs involved and the impact on staffing.
Journalists, photographers and plane watchers were among the crowds who gathered to see Air Force One touch down at Prestwick just before 20:30 on Friday.Trump was greeted by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray and Warren Stephens, US Ambassador to the UK.The president spoke with journalists before a motorcade made up of more than two dozen vehicles escorted him to Turnberry.A number of roads have been closed in the area while police and military personnel have been carrying out sweeps around the resort.
A security checkpoint has been put in place outside the hotel and a large fence has been erected around the course.While security remains tight around Turnberry, some golfers were able to use the Ailsa course from about 07:30 - albeit in windy conditions.Drones and helicopters have also been circling overhead.
Trump is expected to meet Starmer and Swinney on Monday while European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will meet the president on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations.The US president will travel back to Washington on Tuesday and is due to return to the UK for an official state visit in September.In his remarks to the press at Prestwick, Trump said European countries need to "get your act together" on migration, and "stop the windmills", referring to wind farms.
In 2019, his company Trump International lost a long-running court battle to stop a major wind power development being built in the North Sea off Aberdeen.Trump argued that the project, which included 11 wind turbines, would spoil the view from his golf course at Menie.Swinney has said his meeting with Trump would present an opportunity to "essentially speak out for Scotland" on issues such as trade and the increase of business from the United States in Scotland.The first minister said he would also raise "significant international issues" including "the awfulness of the situation in Gaza".He urged those set to protest against the president's visit to do so "peacefully and to do so within the law".
Visits to Scotland by sitting US presidents are rare.Queen Elizabeth hosted Dwight D Eisenhower at Balmoral in Aberdeenshire in 1957.George W Bush travelled to Gleneagles in Perthshire for a G8 summit in 2005 and Joe Biden attended a climate conference in Glasgow in 2021.The only other serving president to visit this century is Trump himself in 2018 when he was met by protesters including one flying a paraglider low over Turnberry, breaching the air exclusion zone around the resort.He returned in 2023, two-and-a-half years after he was defeated by Biden.Trump will have an official state visit to the UK in September when he and First Lady Melania Trump will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle in Berkshire.It is the second state visit he has been afforded - second-term US presidents are traditionally not offered state visits and have instead been invited for tea or lunch with the monarch, usually at Windsor Castle.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Elite police unit to monitor social media for anti-migrant posts
An elite unit of detectives is being convened to monitor social media for anti-migrant posts. The National Internet Intelligence Investigations team will operate from the National Police Coordination Centre (NPoCC) in Westminster, drawing officers from forces across England and Wales. The unit will be tasked with flagging early signs of potential civil unrest and 'maximizing social media intelligence', after last year's riots exposed gaps in police planning. Home Office ministers say it will give local commanders national support to spot and respond to online threats. The move comes as protests outside asylum hotels spread across the country. On Saturday, crowds gathered in Norwich, Leeds and Bournemouth to demand action, with further demonstrations planned. Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner warned the Cabinet that ministers must tackle 'the real concerns that people have' about immigration to prevent disorder. Critics seized on the plan, branding it 'disturbing' and warning of free‑speech infringements. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused the Government of trying 'to police what you post, what you share, what you think' because it 'can't police the streets' itself. 'Labour have stopped pretending to fix Britain and started trying to mute it,' he added, accusing ministers of favouring surveillance over frontline policing. The NPoCC, which led the nationwide police response to Covid lockdowns under Operation Talla, will co‑ordinate the new unit. Details of the unit emerged in a letter to MPs from Dame Diana Johnson, the policing minister, published before parliament's summer recess. She confirmed ministers were acting on recommendations from the Commons Home Affairs Committee and His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services, both of which urged a nationally co‑ordinated social‑media monitoring capability. Dame Diana wrote that the new team 'will provide a national capability to monitor social media intelligence and advise on its use to inform local operational decision‑making,' helping forces to manage public‑safety threats and risks. While initial funding runs until 2026, she said future support would depend on spending priorities. A Home Office spokesman said: 'This new team will help police forces track real-time information and protect communities from incidents and emergencies before they escalate. 'As part of the government's Plan for Change, we are restoring visible, neighbourhood policing, focused on the public's priorities, including halving knife crime and violence against women, clamping down on theft and anti-social behaviour, and ensuring that people can feel safe in their own high streets.'
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Free childcare crisis as surge in demand leaves funding black hole
The UK government's expanded free childcare scheme is facing a significant funding shortfall due to unexpectedly high take-up, threatening the stability of the childcare sector. The scheme is now projected to cost an additional £1 billion annually from 2026/7, bringing the total to approximately £5 billion, substantially more than initial estimates. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the high demand as a 'good problem to have' and expressed confidence in the September rollout, though she could not guarantee local nursery places for all parents. Childcare industry leaders and experts warn that insufficient funding, combined with existing staff shortages, could lead to widespread disappointment for parents and force providers to limit places or increase fees. The Institute for Fiscal Studies highlighted the 'substantial pressure' this places on the Department for Education's budget, suggesting potential cuts in other areas may be necessary to meet childcare commitments.
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Ministers want to overhaul rules to make it easier to open pubs and music venues
Ministers have pledged to make it easier to open new bars, music venues and cafes as part of plans to rejuvenate the high street. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said she wants to 'protect pavement pints' as a new licensing framework will also fast-track permissions for al fresco dining in dedicated areas as the Government looks to modernise planning rules. The Government wants to make it easier to convert disused shops into venues, and dedicated 'hospitality zones' will be brought forward that could see permissions for outside dining, street parties and extended opening hours pushed through quickly. Developers will also be made responsible for soundproofing buildings they construct near pubs or clubs, to protect existing venues from noise complaints. The Government has said the plans will be subject to a call for evidence. The Business Secretary has said that 'red tape has stood in the way of people's business ideas for too long'. Jonathan Reynolds said: 'This Government has a plan to replace shuttered up shops with vibrant places to socialise, turning them into thriving cafes or busy bars, which support local jobs and give people a place to get together and catch up over a beer or a coffee. 'Red tape has stood in the way of people's business ideas for too long. Today we're slashing those barriers to giving small business owners the freedom to flourish.' Ms Reeves said that 'pubs and bars are at the heart of British life'. 'For too long, they've been stifled by clunky, outdated rules. We're binning them, to protect pavement pints, al fresco dining and street parties – not just for the summer, but all year round,' she added. An industry body warned earlier in July that the equivalent of more than one pub per day will close across Great Britain this year, pointing to high bills and taxes. The British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) estimated that 378 pubs will close this year across England, Wales and Scotland, which it said would amount to more than 5,600 direct job losses. The projected 2025 figures compare with 350 closures in 2024. Bar chain Brewdog announced this week that it would close 10 of its venues, as chief executive James Taylor told staff it is partly in response to 'rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures'. Representatives of the hospitality industry welcomed the changes but said they should go hand in hand with a cut to business rates as cost pressures threaten to 'tax out of existence' some businesses. Kate Nicholls, chairwoman of UKHospitality, said: 'We strongly welcome these proposals to cut red tape and make it easier to open and operate hospitality venues, create jobs and grow the economy. 'But positive and encouraging as these measures certainly are, they can't on their own offset the immediate and mounting cost pressures facing hospitality businesses which threaten to tax out of existence the businesses and jobs that today's announcement seeks to support.' Emma McClarkin, chief executive of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: 'After bringing together key voices in the pubs and the wider hospitality sector, it's great news that many of the industry's recommendations on how best to cut red-tape and support growth will be acted on. 'These changes must go hand in hand with meaningful business rates reform, mitigating staggering employment costs, and a cut in beer duty so that pubs can thrive at the heart of the community.' Andrew Griffith MP, shadow business secretary, said: 'Though any cutting of red tape for hospitality businesses is welcome, this is pure hypocrisy and inconsistency from Labour.' He said the Government was 'crippling the hospitality industry by doubling business rates, imposing a jobs tax and a full-on strangulation of employment red tape'. 'As the result, shorter opening hours, shedding jobs and expensive pints are becoming the norm.'
