The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
UK barring a former president would be a ‘dramatic statement’
T he UK Government would find itself in a “very difficult situation” if Donald Trump pays a visit to Scotland around the time of the presidential inauguration, says a leading politics expert.
Scotland’ s Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has called on UK Home Secretary Priti Patel to give “serious consideration” to denying Mr Trump entry to the UK once he leaves office, following shocking scenes in the US Capitol in Washington on Wednesday.
The SNP politician said Ms Patel has the power “if an applicant’s presence is not conducive to the public good”, adding the president “incited a violent mob” after urging his supporters to descend on Washington DC to protest against Congress’s formal approval of president-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
It follows speculation about where the outgoing president will be on the day Mr Biden is sworn in as president, January 20, and whether he will attend the ceremony.
Prestwick Airport has been told to expect the arrival of a US Military Boeing 757 aircraft which was previously used by Mr Trump on January 19, according to The Sunday Post.
Asked about the possibility during her daily coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the president would not be welcome to play golf at one of his two Scottish golf courses.
Christopher Carman, professor of politics at Glasgow University, says it is “not surprising” that Mr Yousaf would make the suggestion for Trump to be barred.
He added: “He (Trump) has been consistent in downplaying the notion that he would attend the inauguration.”
Prof Carman said it would be a “dramatic statement” if the UK Government barred either a serving president, or former president, of the United States, from entering the country.
He said: “Once he leaves office, it’s slightly different, but barring is still a dramatic statement.
“As with all things Trump, we’ve never had a president of the United States like this before and we’ve never seen one who has been accused of inciting insurgency in the US.
“The UK Government would find themselves in a very difficult position and it would take a lot of consultation within the government to decide how to handle that situation.”
Speaking on Good Morning Britain yesterday, Ms Sturgeon said: “In some senses Donald Trump’ s presidency has been moving towards this moment almost since the moment it started.
“But that doesn’t make it any less shocking,” she added.
“What we witnessed weren’ t just horrible breaches of law and order, people taking over the seat of democracy, but we actually witnessed the president of the United States inciting insurrection in his own country.”