US President Donald Trump will be “warmly welcomed“ by the British government when he arrives in Scotland tomorrow, Scottish Minister Ian Murray said, quoted by PA Media/DPA, BTA reports.
During his four-day visit, Trump is expected to visit his two golf clubs in Aberdeenshire and South Ayrshire, as well as meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister John Sweeney.
“We will always give a warm welcome to the US president”, Murray told BBC Radio Scotland. He stressed that cooperation between the US and the UK is of “national interest“.
However, Murray was among the Labour MPs who in 2019 supported a statement in parliament accusing Trump of “misogyny, racism and xenophobia“. He today refused to comment on the act, saying that as Scottish Secretary he had a “duty to welcome foreign dignitaries“.
Andrew Bowie, the shadow secretary for Scotland, criticised Murray for not having a “credible explanation“ for his contrary position. “In 2019 he was acting like a political student, and today he is being forced to act like an adult,” Bowie said. He added that Murray would have been more convincing if he had acknowledged his past mistakes.
Protests are expected to take place in various parts of Scotland during the visit, and police are likely to will be busy, notes DPA.