Evict Trump's troops
Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay MSP has called on the Scottish Government to evict US military forces from the publicly-owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport, following continued military activity and reports of breaches of Scottish jurisdiction.
It will come to a head this week when the Scottish Greens will use a parliamentary debate on Wednesday to call on the US military to be barred from using Prestwick and other publicly owned airports in Scotland.
New data compiled by the Scottish Greens using Flightradar24 shows that US military flights have landed at Prestwick Airport over 550 times since 1st April 2025, with activity occurring on most days.
This follows an escalation of US President Donald Trump’s reckless aggression on the world stage, with recent reports that the US ignored a decision of the Court of Session and removed two individuals from Scottish waters in January.
Gillian Mackay MSP said:
“Donald Trump is no friend of Scotland. He has shown total contempt for our courts and for human rights around the world.
“And we’ve now uncovered that the US military has landed at the Scottish Government’s Prestwick Airport more than 550 times, almost every single day, since the 1st April 2025.
“That is not just the occasional stop-off, that is sustained and routine military use of publicly-owned Scottish infrastructure.
“It’s time for the Scottish Parliament to stand up to Trump. Ministers must act without delay and ensure that Scotland’s infrastructure is not used to boost Trump or breach of our legal authority.
“Prestwick Airport is not a private military base. It is a publicly owned airport operated under the authority of the Scottish Government.
“With Trump’s coup against Venezuela and aggression towards Greenland, continued permission for military use risks making Scotland complicit in actions that conflict with both domestic and international law.
“It is simply unacceptable that a foreign military, which has shown a total disregard for Scottish and international law, is continuing to use our publicly-owned infrastructure.
“This is about ensuring no government, no matter how powerful, can disregard Scotland’s legal authority while enjoying unrestricted access to our public assets.
“The Scottish Government must act decisively. That begins with the immediate eviction of US military operations from Prestwick and halting access to all Scottish Government-owned airports for US military use."