White House issues major update on Donald Trump's visit to UK

Donald Trump will visit Scotland next week and meet Keir Starmer to "refine" a US-UK trade deal, the White House has confirmed. Speculation mounted about a potential visit of the US President this month when Police Scotland confirmed it was in the early stages of planning for such an event.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, speaking at a briefing in Washington DC on Thursday, confirmed Mr Trump will be at his golf courses in Turnberry, Ayrshire, and Menie, Aberdeenshire, between July 25 and 29. It has already been confirmed Mr Trump will meet with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer while in Aberdeen.

Plans are being put in place for the US leader to meet First Minister John Swinney, according to the Scottish Government.

Ms Leavitt told reporters: "President Trump will travel to Scotland, where he will visit both Turnberry and Aberdeen, from July 25 to July 29.

"During the visit, President Trump will meet again with Prime Minister Starmer to refine the great trade deal that was brokered between the United States and the United Kingdom."

Mr Trump and the US First Lady Melania Trump will be in the UK in September for an unprecedented second state visit.

Ahead of the visit, President Trump told the BBC that the north east of Scotland - the oil and gas capital of Europe - should "get rid of the windmills and bring back the oil".

The US President has long been an opponent of wind farms, objecting to a development off the coast of Aberdeen which can be seen from his course.

Mr Trump signed off on a deal removing trade barriers between the US and UK last month. It includes reducing tariffs on cars being shipped to the United States.

The deal still includes a 10% tariff on most goods exported to the US from the UK. It also lacks details about charges on steel imports.

Britain's deal with the US is the first the Trump administration announced after the President announced sweeping tariffs on goods entering the US from around the world.