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Berkshire’s three Liberal Democrat MPs – Maidenhead MP Joshua Reynolds, Wokingham MP Clive Jones and Newbury MP Lee Dillon – have warned of the huge cost of Donald Trump’s state visit to Windsor which starts today.
They have called on the Conservative police and crime commissioner to ensure that people in Berkshire’s access to local policing will not be impacted.
Trump’s first state visit in 2019 cost approximately £3.9 million, over £5 million in today’s money, the majority of which was spent on policing.
The president’s visit to Windsor will funnel essential policing resources away from the local communities in Berkshire they are responsible for protecting and serving.
Whilst Berkshire’s three Liberal Democrat MPs acknowledge the importance of the visit in terms of being a “vital opportunity” for pressuring Trump on key issues, they say that people living in the county deserve to be kept in-the-know about what the visit will mean for regular police services in Berkshire.
They are also calling for assurance that central government will cover the full cost of policing the visit.
In a joint statement, they said: “We welcome Trump’s visit as a vital opportunity to pressure him to do more to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and peace in Ukraine.
”That must include a full resumption of aid into Gaza to alleviate the suffering of Palestinians, an end to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s ever-expanding offensive in the Strip, and the immediate and unconditional release of the hostages still held in captivity by the Hamas terrorists.
“However, we stand firm that the policing of Trump’s visit should not come at the cost of Berkshire residents and their access to reliable policing.
“We are concerned that the visit could lead to other aspects of policing being neglected and resources funneled away from communities that need it most.
“This is why we are calling on the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, to be transparent about what this enormous policing operation means for people in Berkshire, and to guarantee that regular police services will not be impacted.
“We also need assurance from the government that, like previous state visits, they reimburse police forces for the costs incurred.”
