John Swinney will face questions from MSPs at FMQs after “representing Scotland” at a state banquet held in US President Donald Trump’s honour at Windsor Castle.
The banquet was part of the pomp and circumstance planned for Trump unprecedented second state visit and was attended by Swinney alongside Keir Starmer.
His appearance at the event appeared to have been blasted by SNP MP Chris Law, who criticised leaders who sat down for dinner with the US President in a since-deleted tweet.
Posting on X, Law said: “Sitting at tonight’s banquet dinner with President Donald Trump is conceding that it’s acceptable to support Genocide in Gaza after yesterday’s publication of UN’s report on Gaza.”
Swinney’s attendance at the banquet was defended by justice secretary Angela Constance, who said people would expect the First Minister to “be representing Scotland at an international level”.
She added the Scottish Government’s position on “the suffering, the genocide in Gaza is very, very clear and we are playing our part to step up, call for justice, call for an end to that suffering and doing practical endeavours”.
First Minister’s Questions also comes after the Scottish Government revealed statistics showing that the number of homeless families living in temporary accommodation in Scotland is at a record high amid a “deepening” housing emergency.
The number of families in temporary accommodation increased by 6% compared to March 2024, reaching 17,240 on March 31, 2025.
The average time spent in temporary accommodation for cases that closed in 2024-25 was 238 days.
FMQs will begin at midday in the Scottish Parliament
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