Brexit job shortages hit Donald Trump’s Scottish golf resorts

Brexit job shortages have hit Donald Trump’s golf resorts in Scotland, their latest accounts reveal.

Accounts filed for the former US president’s golf course Trump Turnberry in Ayrshire by trading company Golf Recreation Scotland Ltd show the UK leaving the EU caused problems for the site.

The accounts, signed by director Eric Trump, state: “Brexit has also impacted our business as supply chains have been impacted by availability of drivers and staff, reducing deliveries and availability of certain product lines.

“Prices have increased from additional freight and import duty charges.

“Staff availability has been a challenge from a combination of wage inflation with retail and logistics sectors increasing wages to attract staff due to increased business levels.

“Indirectly, the staffing pool has been reduced with lack of access to European staff for businesses in general resulting in greater demand for individuals previously available to the resort.”

The 2020 accounts for both resorts, filed on Christmas Eve, along with government data, show they claimed more than £3m through the UK Government’s furlough scheme, but redundancies were made at Turnberry.

More than £2.3m in furlough cash was claimed at Turnberry, with £451,770 claimed at Trump International at Balmedie.

Golf Recreation Scotland Ltd paid out £324,000 for redundancies in 2020, with staff falling to a monthly average of 289 from 541 the previous year.

The accounts state: “The grant proceeds were utilised by the group in order to support the maintenance of jobs for many of the group’s employees while the resort was closed or at a reduced capacity due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic during the year.”

Employee numbers at Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd also fell, from an average of 84 in 2019 to 63 in 2020.

Its accounts stated: “The UK Government furlough scheme was helpful to retain as many jobs as possible, and the majority of employees were reinstated over the course of the year.”

On a visit to Trump Turnberry the day after the EU referendum vote in 2016, Donald Trump said people had taken “their country back”.

Both resorts recorded an operating loss amid Covid-19 closures and Brexit of £5.3m in 2020 for Golf Recreation Scotland Ltd, from a £2.3m loss in 2019, and £1.3m for Trump International Golf Club Scotland Ltd in 2020, from £1.1m in 2019.