JD Vance: Hundreds of police officers to be deployed for US Vice President visit to Scotland next week
JD Vance’s visit comes just a fortnight after Donald Trump travelled to his golf courses in Scotland.
As many as 1,000 police officers could be deployed for a holiday visit by US Vice President JD Vance to Scotland next week as part of his trip to the UK.
It comes just a fortnight after American President Donald Trump visited his golf courses north of the Border and met with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney, sparking a huge security operation.
A Police Scotland spokesman said: "Planning is under way for a potential visit to Scotland by the vice-president of the United States.
"Details of any visit would be for the White House to comment on. However, it is important that we prepare in advance for what would be a significant policing operation."
Mr Vance arrived in the UK for a holiday on Friday morning, visiting Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s official country retreat at Chevening in Kent. Sky News reported he is likely to visit Ayrshire - where the US president’s Trump Turnberry resort is situated - next week with his family.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said Mr Vance’s trip north of the Border would require around 1,000 officers to be deployed, working 12-hour shifts. Mr Trump’s four-day visit saw more than 7,000 officers deployed.
“Our concern is cops are tired and overstretched as it is, and this it’s just overstretching them even more,” Mr Kennedy told The Scotsman. “The reality is we just don’t have the capacity.”
Mr Vance, who has previously accused the UK of retreating from democratic values, struck a more positive chord as he spoke of his “love” for the country during his visit to Chevening, Mr Lammy’s grace-and-favour retreat.
He heaped praise on his “good friend” the Foreign Secretary, and said Britain and the US should work together to “bring greater peace” to the world as the two countries “have a lot in common”.
However, Mr Vance made clear there were differences of opinion between the two administrations on how to address the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The vice-president confirmed Washington had “no plans” to recognise Palestine, which Britain has pledged to do unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire.
“It is great to be here … my wife and I love this section, this area of the UK and we were actually here a couple of years ago … so we love this country,” Mr Vance told journalists.
Despite coming from differing political backgrounds, Mr Vance and Mr Lammy are said to have developed a personal rapport, bonding over their difficult childhoods and Christian faith.
Mr Vance visited Chevening while on holiday in the Cotswolds with his family, who joined him and the Foreign Secretary to go carp fishing at the countryside estate on Friday.
“Unfortunately, the one strain on the special relationship is that all of my kids caught fish, but the Foreign Secretary did not,” the vice-president said.
Mr Vance added: “Just on a personal note, I have to say that I really have become a good friend, and David has become a good friend of mine, and so it’s great to spend some time here with him … you’ve been a very, very gracious host to me and the whole family.”
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