Protesters greet JD Vance as he arrives in Scotland for family holiday

Donald Trump’s second-in-command landed at Prestwick Airport on Wednesday evening before travelling with a large motorcade to the luxury Carnell Estate near Kilmarnock in East Ayrshire.

He was greeted there by the pro-Palestine protesters. The demonstrators were kettled by police as they bashed pots and pans, waved Palestine flags and shouted pro-Palestine chants.

Police had initially told the protesters they would need to move and that officers would do so if they refused to leave to a different space nearby.

Airspace restrictions are in place around the estate until Sunday.

The Republican’s stay is expected to require a considerable policing operation, with up to 1,000 Police Scotland officers set to be involved.

It follows a visit by his boss, US President Donald Trump, who recently spent five days in Scotland split between his golf courses in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire and during which time he met the First Minister and Prime Minister.

President Trump split his stay between his golf courses in South Ayrshire and Aberdeenshire, during which time he met the First Minister and Prime Minister.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “This visit requires a significant police operation and we have appropriate resources in place using local, national and specialist officers from across Police Scotland.”

Mr Vance had been holidaying in the Cotswolds, but travelled to the Foreign Secretary’s Chevening House retreat in Kent on Friday – and he joined David Lammy for a spot of carp fishing at the countryside estate.

Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Vance described the UK-US relationship as “a beautiful alliance” during a speech at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire.

As part of his trip, The Scotsman understands that Mr Vance will visit Trump Turnberry, the resort which has been owned by Mr Trump since 2014.

One source at the property said staff were preparing for a visit by Mr Vance and his staff, together with members of the US Secret Service, describing it as a “high profile” event.

Since Mr Trump’s first term in office, ethics watchdogs have raised repeated concerns about the hundreds of trips he and his adult children have made to Trump Organisation properties, with the Secret Service running up significant bills at his properties.

Mr Trump’s Scottish firms have received hundreds of thousands of pounds in payments from the US government, even when the 79 year-old or his children have not been visiting.

In 2020, for example, The Scotsman revealed how the then billionaire US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, ran up a bill to US taxpayers totalling more than £1,000 in a single day while staying at Turnberry. Mr Johnson enjoyed a £426 dinner with his wife at the property, and also spent several hundred pounds on its golf offerings.

Mr Trump visited both Turnberry and his inaugural Scottish resort, Trump International Scotland in Aberdeenshire, last month. During the trip he repeatedly promoted his properties.