Chamber and committees

Greens around the world are very clear that we do not support the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but that is not what we are debating today. We are debating the routine use of public airports for military actions. We absolutely need co-operation on the world stage, but that does not necessarily mean that we need to be in NATO. Given Donald Trump’s actions towards NATO, including removing funding from it and threatening NATO allies, it does not seem as strong as it should be.

Do I need to wind up, Presiding Officer?

When Prestwick airport was nationalised, in 2013, the then Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, presented it to the Parliament as an opportunity to revitalise the aviation industry in the west of Scotland. In the hopeful pre-referendum days, we were encouraged to imagine how Prestwick could become a hub for international travel, global business and, possibly, even space flight. We were told that it would be an airport for Scotland and that it would create jobs and build skills and expertise in industries for the future.

Few of us in the chamber today could have predicted how much the world would change in the 13 years that came after. Nor could we have anticipated that, instead of a hub for holidaymakers, the publicly owned airport would become a major de facto military base of an aggressive foreign air force under the control of a rogue and unstable leader. Donald Trump’s United States has shown repeated contempt for international law, human rights and democracy at home and around the world. Some of his worst offences are taking place right now—against his own citizens. Innocent people are being shot at point-blank range in broad daylight for standing up to the harassment and threats of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. Tens of thousands of people—including thousands of children—are being held indefinitely by the state in inhumane conditions and are being denied access to adequate food, fresh air, exercise and even basic sanitation facilities. If that was happening in any other country, we would be denouncing the rise of fascism and calling on the international community to cut ties and take action.

On the global scene, Trump has waved in a new era of heavy-handed neo-imperialism. From the illegal invasion and removal of the president in Venezuela to his repeated threats to the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark, Trump has made it clear that international norms will not curtail his personal pursuit of wealth, power and control. Only last month, his military ignored a decision by Scotland’s Court of Session and kidnapped two foreign citizens from our waters. We later learned that it likely used Scotland’s own publicly owned airports to support the operation. That cannot be allowed to continue. That is not what the communities around Prestwick were promised. It is not how the people of the Highlands and Islands want their lifeline airports to be used, and it is not what the public in Scotland deserve for our nationally owned assets.

Our motion today focuses on Prestwick because that is where the problem is most acute. Between 1 April 2025 and 12 February 2026, the United States military landed at Prestwick airport 565 times. Military flights have landed on most days, sometimes multiple times per day, with the busiest day, in May 2025, witnessing 15 landings. The data shows clear patterns, with the number of flights peaking alongside known US military operations. In January, when the US military seized the Marinera oil tanker in Scottish waters, landings by the US military were up 76 per cent on the previous month. Last summer saw sustained activity at the airport, which coincided with the US military’s bombing of Iran during the 12-day war with Israel.

I do not dispute the point that Sharon Dowey makes about jobs, but there is no security for those jobs in basing them—and others in the local economy—on servicing the military of a foreign state, given its unpredictable nature and, in particular, the unpredictable nature of Mr Trump.

The airport even publicly advertises itself with a glossy website offering

“a dedicated and discreet military base”

and

“the perfect location for crew rest, fuel stop and training of any size of aircraft at any time—day or night.”

That pitch is accompanied by photos of US Air Force planes. Is this really what the Scottish Government had in mind when it brought the airport into public ownership—hiring out our land, our facilities and our workforce to a foreign military to use at its will, with no questions asked?

The Scottish public are the ultimate owners of Prestwick airport. It should be run for their benefit, not for the benefit of an unstable and volatile United States or a President who has armed genocide, inflicted coups and threatened his neighbours. The Scottish Greens share the Government’s aspiration for Scotland to be an independent country, and a big part of that is having the ability to play our full role on the international stage as a good global citizen and a champion for peace and stability around the world.

Yes.

We must move beyond rhetoric and sentiment on this urgent issue. Evicting the United States Air Force from Prestwick and blocking its passage and refuelling through our publicly owned airports across the Highlands and Islands is the most effective way for Scotland not just to talk a good game on the issue but to explicitly stand in support of everyone around the world who is currently a target for Trump and his hostile regime. It is how we stand up for the people of Greenland and affirm our support for their sovereignty and their right to live in peace without the on-going threat of invasion from their neighbour. It is how we stand up against his illegal and immoral actions in Venezuela, which showed utter contempt for international law.

Donald Trump is no friend of Scotland, and we should not pretend that he is. It is time to end his army’s extensive use of our airports and make sure that Scotland is a force for peace in an uncertain world.

I move,

That the Parliament strongly opposes the actions of the United States (US) under the leadership of Donald Trump; believes that, under Trump’s presidency, the US has become a rogue state that has shown contempt for Scottish and international law through its attack on Venezuela and Scottish waters and its threats to the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark; notes that two people were recently abducted from Scottish waters by the US military, in defiance of the Court of Session and live legal proceedings; understands that the US military currently uses Scottish Government owned Prestwick airport as a de-facto base, with US military flights landing at Prestwick over 560 times since 1 April 2025; agrees that Scotland must not be complicit in any illegal action by allowing the use of publicly owned assets by foreign military, and calls on the Scottish Government to evict US troops operating from Prestwick airport immediately and to instruct all airports owned by the Scottish Government through Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to deny access and use of their facilities to the US military.

Greens around the world are very clear that we do not support the proliferation of nuclear weapons, but that is not what we are debating today. We are debating the routine use of public airports for military actions. We absolutely need co-operation on the world stage, but that does not necessarily mean that we need to be in NATO. Given Donald Trump’s actions towards NATO, including removing funding from it and threatening NATO allies, it does not seem as strong as it should be.

Do I need to wind up, Presiding Officer?

I absolutely recognise that, but when vessels come into our waters, our laws apply. Those people were taken in contravention of what the Court of Session said should happen, so it is right that we call the US Government out on it.

Those are not occasional stopovers. That is the routine and sustained use of Prestwick airport as a de facto military base by the US Air Force for training and live military proceedings. Allowing the continued use of our publicly owned airports in that way risks making us complicit in the current and future actions of a foreign Government that has made it clear that it has no intention of sticking within the bounds of international law.

Passenger numbers for Prestwick airport are now at similar levels to those in the late 1990s and are less than half what they were when the airport was nationalised for just £1 in 2013. I would welcome it if the cabinet secretary could provide more information on the current business plan for Prestwick, because it seems clear to me that the financial sustainability of Prestwick is based not on commercial flights but on on-going and routine use by the military.

When Prestwick airport was nationalised, in 2013, the then Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, presented it to the Parliament as an opportunity to revitalise the aviation industry in the west of Scotland. In the hopeful pre-referendum days, we were encouraged to imagine how Prestwick could become a hub for international travel, global business and, possibly, even space flight. We were told that it would be an airport for Scotland and that it would create jobs and build skills and expertise in industries for the future.

Few of us in the chamber today could have predicted how much the world would change in the 13 years that came after. Nor could we have anticipated that, instead of a hub for holidaymakers, the publicly owned airport would become a major de facto military base of an aggressive foreign air force under the control of a rogue and unstable leader. Donald Trump’s United States has shown repeated contempt for international law, human rights and democracy at home and around the world. Some of his worst offences are taking place right now—against his own citizens. Innocent people are being shot at point-blank range in broad daylight for standing up to the harassment and threats of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE. Tens of thousands of people—including thousands of children—are being held indefinitely by the state in inhumane conditions and are being denied access to adequate food, fresh air, exercise and even basic sanitation facilities. If that was happening in any other country, we would be denouncing the rise of fascism and calling on the international community to cut ties and take action.

On the global scene, Trump has waved in a new era of heavy-handed neo-imperialism. From the illegal invasion and removal of the president in Venezuela to his repeated threats to the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark, Trump has made it clear that international norms will not curtail his personal pursuit of wealth, power and control. Only last month, his military ignored a decision by Scotland’s Court of Session and kidnapped two foreign citizens from our waters. We later learned that it likely used Scotland’s own publicly owned airports to support the operation. That cannot be allowed to continue. That is not what the communities around Prestwick were promised. It is not how the people of the Highlands and Islands want their lifeline airports to be used, and it is not what the public in Scotland deserve for our nationally owned assets.

Our motion today focuses on Prestwick because that is where the problem is most acute. Between 1 April 2025 and 12 February 2026, the United States military landed at Prestwick airport 565 times. Military flights have landed on most days, sometimes multiple times per day, with the busiest day, in May 2025, witnessing 15 landings. The data shows clear patterns, with the number of flights peaking alongside known US military operations. In January, when the US military seized the Marinera oil tanker in Scottish waters, landings by the US military were up 76 per cent on the previous month. Last summer saw sustained activity at the airport, which coincided with the US military’s bombing of Iran during the 12-day war with Israel.

We must move beyond rhetoric and sentiment on this urgent issue. Evicting the United States Air Force from Prestwick and blocking its passage and refuelling through our publicly owned airports across the Highlands and Islands is the most effective way for Scotland not just to talk a good game on the issue but to explicitly stand in support of everyone around the world who is currently a target for Trump and his hostile regime. It is how we stand up for the people of Greenland and affirm our support for their sovereignty and their right to live in peace without the on-going threat of invasion from their neighbour. It is how we stand up against his illegal and immoral actions in Venezuela, which showed utter contempt for international law.

Donald Trump is no friend of Scotland, and we should not pretend that he is. It is time to end his army’s extensive use of our airports and make sure that Scotland is a force for peace in an uncertain world.

I move,

That the Parliament strongly opposes the actions of the United States (US) under the leadership of Donald Trump; believes that, under Trump’s presidency, the US has become a rogue state that has shown contempt for Scottish and international law through its attack on Venezuela and Scottish waters and its threats to the sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark; notes that two people were recently abducted from Scottish waters by the US military, in defiance of the Court of Session and live legal proceedings; understands that the US military currently uses Scottish Government owned Prestwick airport as a de-facto base, with US military flights landing at Prestwick over 560 times since 1 April 2025; agrees that Scotland must not be complicit in any illegal action by allowing the use of publicly owned assets by foreign military, and calls on the Scottish Government to evict US troops operating from Prestwick airport immediately and to instruct all airports owned by the Scottish Government through Highlands and Islands Airports Limited to deny access and use of their facilities to the US military.

I do not dispute the point that Sharon Dowey makes about jobs, but there is no security for those jobs in basing them—and others in the local economy—on servicing the military of a foreign state, given its unpredictable nature and, in particular, the unpredictable nature of Mr Trump.

The airport even publicly advertises itself with a glossy website offering

“a dedicated and discreet military base”

and

“the perfect location for crew rest, fuel stop and training of any size of aircraft at any time—day or night.”

That pitch is accompanied by photos of US Air Force planes. Is this really what the Scottish Government had in mind when it brought the airport into public ownership—hiring out our land, our facilities and our workforce to a foreign military to use at its will, with no questions asked?

The Scottish public are the ultimate owners of Prestwick airport. It should be run for their benefit, not for the benefit of an unstable and volatile United States or a President who has armed genocide, inflicted coups and threatened his neighbours. The Scottish Greens share the Government’s aspiration for Scotland to be an independent country, and a big part of that is having the ability to play our full role on the international stage as a good global citizen and a champion for peace and stability around the world.