Swinney defends attendance at Trump banquet after SNP criticism

John Swinney and Sir Keir Starmer both accepted invitations from the King to attend the dinner

John Swinney has defended his decision to attend a state banquet in honour of Donald Trump following criticism from an SNP MP.

Hosted by King Charles, the first minister joined the US president and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as a host of political leaders and business chiefs, at the Windsor Castle dinner.

Swinney said he was able to lobby the president to exempt Scotch whisky from US trade tariffs at the event.

In a now-deleted post on X, SNP MP Chris Law claimed that attending the banquet would be tantamount to "conceding that it's acceptable to support" an Israeli genocide in Gaza - an accusation Israel denies.

After returning to Edinburgh, Swinney said his attendance was "in Scotland's interests" and he had not spoken to Law about the social media post.

He said he took his seat at the banquet to "protect and promote" Scotland.

The first minister said: "I don't think people in Scotland would understand their first minister leaving Scotland's seat empty, when there are big issues that affect the jobs and the livelihoods of people in Scotland."

He said his views on Gaza were well known and reiterated that he believed Israel was committing genocide.

John Swinney joined political and business leaders at the banquet in honour of Donald Trump

Speaking at First Minister's Questions, Swinney said he took the opportunity at the banquet to raise the issue of Scotch whisky.

While accepting that it was for the UK government to agree trade deals, he said he lobbied for a "zero for zero" arrangement on tariffs for whisky and bourbon producers that "makes sense on both sides of the Atlantic".

The banquet was held to mark Trump's unprecedented second state visit.

Media mogul Rupert Murdoch, Apple co-founder Tim Cook and OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman were among the attendees.

Hosted by the King, guests were served Hampshire watercress panna cotta, quail egg salad, organic Norfolk chicken ballotine and vanilla ice cream bombe on a 42m (138ft) banqueting table.

As recently as March, Swinney questioned whether the state visit should ago ahead. That followed Trump's infamous Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Since then, relations between the first minister and US president have been considerably warmer.

Last week, Swinney made an unexpected visit to the White House to discuss a potential deal to exempt Scotch whisky from US import tariffs.

During a 50-minute meeting, the first minister argued for a "win-win" deal that could benefit bourbon producers in the US, who sell about £220m of used casks to Scotch distillers every year to be used for whisky maturation.

That call has been supported by the UK government, which is responsible for agreeing any trade deals with the White House.

However, Swinney has claimed credit for getting the whisky issue on the president's "radar" during his visit to Scotland earlier in the summer.

Holyrood ministers also contributed £180,000 of public funds to support a major golf tournament at Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.

Former SNP MP Hannah Bardell told the Sunday Times that decision would make many within the SNP feel "uncomfortable", while Nicola Sturgeon's former chief of staff Liz Lloyd criticised the way the issue had been handled.

Swinney had a 50-minute conversation with Trump on his visit to Washington

Chris Law's criticism came after a group of three independent experts commissioned by the United Nations' Human Rights Council concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians.

Israel's foreign ministry has rejected the report, describing it as "distorted and false".

Northern Ireland's first minister Michelle O'Neill boycotted Trump's state banquet, saying she was taking a "principled stand" in response to the US role in Israel's war in Gaza.

Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan also turned down an invitation to the dinner, citing the recent death of a Senedd member.

The Scottish Greens urged Swinney to follow suit. Co-leader Ross Greer said: "Donald Trump is one of the most dishonest, disgraced and dishonourable people in the world.

"He is the last person on earth who deserves a banquet in their honour."

Earlier, Justice Secretary Angela Constance told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland that people would expect the first minister to "be representing Scotland at an international level".

Addressing newspaper reports that Swinney had faced a backlash from within his party over the banquet, former SNP MP Stewart McDonald posted on X: "Nothing could be further from the truth."

"John Swinney has so far navigated the presidential relationship with deftness, avoiding the sort of obsequiousness we see so often, whilst robustly standing up for Scottish interests," he added.

"Most party members understand the need to engage, and most would agree that he has done so in an entirely proper fashion."