Trump is a guest of the PM so it’s only fair she pick up £5million tab
Visit ‘will affect frontline policing’
SCOTLAND’S new Justice Secretary has claimed the £5million bill to police Donald Trump’s visit to the country should be paid by Theresa May. Humza Yousaf wrote to Home Secretary Sajid Javid after the huge cost of the US president’s trip emerged. Yousaf told him that, having made a personal invitation to Trump, May’s Government – and not the Scottish Government – should be the ones to pay up. The former transport secretary added that taking such a huge sum from the police budget would impact on frontline services. He said: “I have written to the UK Government to tell them that, as President Trump is a guest of Theresa May, it is only fair that they pick up £5million tab for policing the visit. “It is completely unacceptable and unfair that they expect Police Scotland and the Scottish taxpayer to move that away from frontline services.
“If £5million gets sucked out of Police Scotland’s budget for this visit, organised by the UK Government, then that is clearly going to come from somewhere.”
Protests have been organised for Glasgow on Friday and Edinburgh on Saturday, to coincide with the president’s trip to the UK.
Asked if he could see anything positive in the nation playing host to Trump, Yousaf said: “People have their own views and the First Minister has spoken of her views and we know there will be a civic movement expressing their free speech on that visit.
“That’s a great thing but what we and the police shall be doing is making sure people are safe.” Downing Street insisted the cost of the visit could be met in part by the UK Government, as has happened on previous occasions when an American president has come to Scotland.
The PM’s office suggested they would provide assistance to cover the extra costs of having 5000 officers on duty and all weekend leave cancelled.
A spokeswoman said: “Speaking generally, there are Government mechanisms to support the devolved administrations if they put on large-scale events.”
The Queen is set to meet the president when he visits on Friday. It appears likely she will entertain Trump at Windsor Castle.
He is reported to have two spare days before a meeting in Finland with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, making it likely that Scotland, where he owns two golf resorts, will feature on his itinerary.