Home Office pays police forces £7.9m for Donald Trump visit

Donald Trump and UK Prime Minister Theresa May ahead of a news conference at Chequers

Almost £8m was paid to police forces in England to cover the cost of policing Donald Trump's visit last summer.

Thousands of officers were drafted in from every force in the UK as the trip was met with mass protests.

Thames Valley Police, which policed most of the president's stay as he met the Queen at Windsor Castle and Theresa May at Chequers, received £6m.

The overall cost of policing the visit to the UK amounted to £14.2m, according to Freedom of Information figures.

Thames Valley, Essex and the Metropolitan forces were repaid a total of £7.9m by the Home Office for "hosting" the president when he arrived on 12 July.

Special grant

Essex Police said it spent more than £1.86m, while the Met put the cost at almost £3m, partly due to thousands of people taking to the streets to protest at the visit.

A large inflatable baby resembling the president was flown over London during a rally attended by tens of thousands of people.

President Trump also visited former Prime Minister Winston Churchill's ancestral home in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire, during his four-day visit.

In a statement, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld said: "I am delighted that the Home Office has provided us with special grant funding to cover the additional costs incurred by Thames Valley Police in policing the visit."

Mr Trump's two-day trip to Scotland, during which he played golf at his resort in Ayrshire, cost £3.2m. The Treasury will be responsible for reimbursing Police Scotland.