Thames Valley Police's police and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, said the Home Office has refused to reimburse the force for officers' time dedicated to the event, with the demand totaling more than £900,000. Donald Trump and first lady Melania were hosted by the King for two days at Windsor Castle in September, requiring Thames Valley Police to redeploy officers from across the region to meet the complicated security demands of the state visit. Matthew Barber expressed disappointment by the government's refusal to repay the force and revealed he had been attempting to claw back the money for several months, stating the force had been short changed by over £900,000.
The Home Office insisted Thames Valley Police would receive reimbursement for their additional costs, but there is a dispute over whether this should include payment for officers' time, though the force will still receive funding for some additional expenses under national arrangements. In contrast, the government agreed to repay the local council's costs incurred during Donald Trump's state visit, with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead receiving around £350,000 for costs related to hosting recent state visits. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead had a similar row with the government after hosting the presidents of America, France and Germany last year, and it threatened to withdraw support for the state visit of Nigerian President Bola Tinubu earlier this month, with the government eventually relenting and paying back the money.
We know that state visits at Windsor are likely to continue to increase whilst Buckingham Palace undergoes refurbishment and these policing costs, with officers being taken away from their normal duties to police state visits of national significance, should not have to be picked up by local taxpayers.
While the Foreign Office is responsible for covering most costs of a state visit, the council is generally expected to fund road closures and stewarding. Deputy leader of the council Lynne Jones said at the start of the month she was really pleased with the outcome regarding reimbursement.