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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
National
Alasdair Ferguson

Calls for White House to pay policing bill for JD Vance’s Scotland holiday

NO public money should be spent on “far right extremist” JD Vance’s holiday in Scotland, the Scottish Greens have said. 

The party has called for any policing bill during the US vice president's visit to be sent to the White House instead. 

The calls come after Police Scotland confirmed that the force was preparing for a “significant policing operation” for Vance's stay at a resort in Ayrshire.

Some reports have suggested that as many as 1000 officers could be drafted in to help with the policing operation. 

Scottish Greens MSP Maggie Chapman has urged Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that no public money is spent on Vance’s holiday.

She said: “Neither Vance nor his politics are welcome in Scotland. We certainly should not be spending taxpayers’ money to host him when he is doing so much damage.

“I urge Police Scotland and the Scottish Government to ensure that no public money is being spent on this holiday, and that any bill is sent directly to the White House.”

Vance has already been condemned by the party for his “lies about Scotland” as he previously claimed earlier this year that Scots who pray in their homes could be prosecuted after the recent introduction of buffer zones around Scottish abortion clinics.

The US vice president used a speech in Munich to argue Europe was seeing a shift away from democratic values and claimed the “basic liberties of religious Britons, in particular” are under threat, citing the Scottish Government law as an example.

Chapman argued that Vance’s controversial views have no place in Scotland. 

“JD Vance is a far right extremist who has peddled misinformation and lies,” she said.

“He has played a central role in the racist Trump government that has torn apart families and communities, attacked women’s rights, and armed the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”

She added: “After all of the shameful fawning over the recent Trump visit, it is crucial that our government stands up for human rights and makes clear that the values that Vance represents have no place here.”

(Image: Phil Noble/Reuters)

Last month Police Scotland said policing across the country would be “seriously affected” ahead of the US president Donald Trump’s visit. 

In July, officers from Northern Ireland and England were drafted in to help police Trump’s four-day stay at his golf clubs in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, which Police Scotland had to fit the bill for.

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