Donald Trump set for return UK visit in December

Donald Trump is expected to return to the UK in December for a Nato summit, it has been announced.

The US president is set to meet with heads of state in London, Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on Wednesday.

It would be Mr Trump's second visit to Britain since his election, having jetted in amid swathes of protest last July.

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The visit raises the prospect of another visit by the US President to Scotland, following a stopover at his Turnberry golf course following a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May in July.

President Donald Trump (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)President Donald Trump (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
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Mr Stoltenberg said: "I am pleased to announce that allies have agreed that the next meeting of Nato heads of state and government will take place in London in December 2019.

"The meeting in London will be an opportunity for allied heads of state and government to address the security challenges we face now and in the future, and to ensure that Nato continues to adapt in order to keep its population of almost one billion people safe."

Nato said the meeting is foreseen as a summit of heads of state but it is up to individual nations to determine who to send.

Mrs May said she is "very pleased" the UK has been asked to host the leaders during the year of the alliance's 70th anniversary.

"For 70 years Nato has been the cornerstone of our national security. But today's challenges are very different from those we faced when the alliance established its first headquarters in London," the Prime Minister said in a statement.

"The UK has played a central role throughout Nato's history as it has adapted to deal with new and complex threats to our security.

"So, as we pay tribute to the service men and women who have worked so hard over so many years to keep us safe, December's meeting is an important opportunity to determine the steps we must now take to modernise the alliance and ensure its continued success."

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The total cost of policing Mr Trump's four-day visit to the UK last year was more than £14.2 million, figures obtained by the Press Association showed this week.

While the proposed visit in December would follow a different schedule, there will be concerns over the cost of securing the controversial leader, with more protests likely.

Mr Trump has repeatedly railed against Nato as he successfully pressured allies to pledge billions more in defence spending.

As recently as Tuesday in Washington, he said in his State of the Union address that the US had been "treated very unfairly by friends of ours, members of Nato" over a period of years.