Prestwick edits website to remove Trump Turnberry mention

A Congressional committee is scrutinising the ties between Trump Turnberry and the state owned Glasgow Prestwick Airport.

The Scottish Government owned airport modified a webpage promoting its in-house fixed base operations to inbound aircrews and advising them of nearby hotels and attractions.

The US president's resort was the only hotel named, despite the fact it is one of 13 used by Prestwick staff to book accommodation for US aircrews. Turnberry is booked if aircrews specifically request it, Scotland's transport secretary, Michael Matheson, confirmed earlier this month.

While the webpage, promoting hospitality offerings to military customers, named Turnberry last week, the reference had been removed as of this evening.

As revealed last Wednesday by The Scotsman, Turnberry is also the only hotel named in promotional literature distributed by Prestwick staff at closed door meetings with US military personnel.

A pamphlet handed out at the meetings notes that the loss making hotel and golf course enjoys a "five star" status and has been "newly refurbished."

The airport has not responded to The Scotsman's enquiries about the prominence given to Mr Trump's resort in the materials.

US military patronage and payments at Turnbrrry and Prestwick are the subject of an ongoing Congressional investigation.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee, which has been scrutinising the arrangements since June, has already revealed the Pentagon spent at least £147,000 at Turnberry between August 2017 and July this year, the equivalent, it says, of more than 650 rooms, or "more than one room every night for more than one and a half years."