Swinney to attend Windsor state banquet as ties with Trump warm over whisky lobbying

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney will attend a state banquet at Windsor Castle on Wednesday in honour of U.S. President Donald Trump, a shift that marks a notable thaw in relations after months of public criticism between the Scottish government and the president.

Swinney, who publicly described the prospect of the visit as "unthinkable" in March following an Oval Office meeting with Ukraine's president, has since pursued private meetings with members of the Trump family and lobbied directly at the White House on the impact of U.S. import tariffs on Scotch whisky. The engagement has prompted debate within Scottish politics and highlighted tensions between devolved and UK government responsibilities for trade.

Swinney's attendance will place him alongside Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch at the banquet; he will be the only devolved first minister to attend. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said he will boycott the event in protest over U.S. policy on Gaza, and Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer has urged Swinney not to go. The Northern Ireland executive will be represented by Democratic Unionist deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly, and the Labour first minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan, declined the King's invitation to lead tributes to a deceased political colleague in Cardiff. Nigel Farage was not invited to the state events.

Swinney's approach changed after a series of meetings in March and summer visits to Scotland and Washington. A private meeting with Eric Trump at the first minister's official residence in Edinburgh in mid-March was followed by further engagement, including a breakfast meeting with Donald Trump in Aberdeenshire in July and a 50-minute conversation in the Oval Office in Washington. Scottish government sources say Swinney focused on a trade case for Scotch whisky, pressing for a reduction or removal of U.S. tariffs that industry groups have said harm exports.

Swinney framed the pitch as a potential "win-win" business proposal: zero tariffs on Scotch entering the U.S. in return for reciprocal tariff relief on bourbon and on used American oak casks imported into Scotland, which are widely used to mature Scotch. The Scottish government said he was arguing the case on behalf of the Scotch whisky industry, which has engaged with U.S. distillers and the Scotch Whisky Association on a special trading arrangement.

While trade policy is reserved to the UK government, Swinney's access to the president included follow-up through diplomatic channels and was supported by contacts in Washington. The Scottish Secretary, Douglas Alexander, later said the UK government had been "thinking, working, talking and negotiating about whisky for many weeks and months" and warned against using the issue to "play politics." A UK business minister was in Washington on tariff talks the day before Swinney's visit, and UK negotiators have been seeking broader concessions across a range of products.

Swinney's decision to engage directly with the White House and with members of the Trump family follows a complex history between the Trumps and Scottish politics. The Scottish government previously granted planning permission for the development of a Trump golf resort at Menie in Aberdeenshire, and public funds were later announced to support a golf tournament at Trump International in Aberdeenshire. During Trump's visit to Scotland this year, Swinney attended events with the president; Trump called him a "terrific guy" at one opening.

The diplomatic manoeuvring has prompted mixed reactions within Scottish politics. Some within the SNP have privately praised Swinney's pragmatism in seeking an outcome for an important Scottish industry, while critics, including the Scottish Greens and the Liberal Democrats, have urged a boycott of state events to protest U.S. policy on Gaza. Swinney told reporters in Edinburgh that his approach was pragmatic: "We've just got to get on with the world as we see it and as it is in front of us," he said after returning from Washington.

Industry officials have said there is no guarantee of a special deal and that any changes would require negotiations at UK level and agreement from U.S. authorities. The Scotch whisky sector has said in recent weeks that a better trading arrangement could be "deliverable," but officials cautioned that no firm announcement had been secured in time for the state visit.

Observers note the political calculation for Swinney: a successful tariff outcome could allow him to claim some credit for helping Scotland's exports, while a failure would leave him to argue the UK government did not secure the concessions. The Scottish government has defended engagement with international partners as consistent with its responsibilities to support Scottish economic interests. The coming state visit and banquet will test how commercial lobbying, devolved interests and diplomatic protocol intersect during a high-profile UK visit by the U.S. president.