Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has defended spending more than £45,000 of public money on business-class flights for himself and two senior aides during the 2026 World Cup in the United States. He travelled to Boston on 11 June 2026 to watch Scotland's opening match before holding trade discussions in Kentucky three days later, while several other officials, including Sports Minister Maree Todd, flew economy class for the same trip.
According to figures released by the Scottish Government, the total cost of sending Swinney, Todd and accompanying officials to the US reached £98,442 once flights, hotels and other expenses were included. Flights for Swinney and his private secretary, John Webster, cost £17,893 each, while business-class tickets for the first minister's special adviser, Colin McAllister, came to £9,864. A further £11,800 was spent on economy-class flights for officials travelling with Swinney, alongside more than £10,000 on car hire during his visit.
Maree Todd's trip to Miami, where she watched Scotland's third World Cup group match, cost £5,485 to cover flights for her and four accompanying officials.
Under the Scottish Government's own travel rules, business-class flights are meant to be reserved for journeys lasting more than ten hours "unless otherwise agreed". A direct flight from Edinburgh to Boston typically takes around seven hours.
Why does the government say ministers flew business class?
Justice Secretary Neil Gray argued that the higher-cost tickets were justified given the demands placed on ministers during the trip. Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland Breakfast, he said the arrangement allowed officials to remain effective immediately after landing.
These are busy trips for ministers and it is right that they are able to arrive fresh, they're able to arrive in a way that means that they're able to participate and do their work immediately, so I think that's a proportionate use.
Gray also pointed to wider benefits from the visit, saying it strengthened Scotland's "soft-power reach and the ability to make significant international connections", and said it was appropriate for Swinney and his team to take part.
It was right that the first minister and his team were there to participate and to be part of that.
Swinney himself acknowledged the cost but said the government had tried to keep spending as low as possible given the circumstances.
Obviously, when flights have got to be booked, when there's intense pressure on the time involved, then the costs are likely to be higher.
We tried to minimise those costs.
How did the trip come about?
The Scottish Government has said Swinney travelled at the invitation of FIFA and attended matches as part of a delegation alongside the Scottish Football Association, according to a government news release issued on 12 June 2026. The same release framed the visit as an opportunity for Swinney to hold business meetings with US business leaders in addition to attending Scotland's match against Haiti as a guest of the Scottish Football Association.
An earlier freedom of information response published on 11 August 2026 confirmed that Swinney and Todd were travelling in a ministerial capacity and stated that full travel costs would be released at a later date, according to a Scottish Government FOI disclosure. Separately, the government said in another FOI release that it had neither requested nor been offered any tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by any organisation, and that it was unable to identify further information relating to some ticket-related questions, according to a separate freedom of information response.
What criticism has the spending faced?
Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said supporters had welcomed ministers joining fans to celebrate Scotland's first World Cup appearance in almost three decades, but argued the costs should have been controlled more tightly.
Nobody begrudged SNP ministers joining the Tartan Army to cheer on Scotland men's team at their first World Cup appearance in nearly three decades, but in typical SNP fashion costs were never kept under control.
Swinney and his ministerial colleague were clearly happy to escape all the challenges facing them back home, but they should have met these significant costs out of their own pocket.
Reporting on 19 August 2026 put the overall bill for Swinney's trip at nearly £100,000, broadly consistent with the £98,442 figure disclosed by the government, according to a news report on the spending.
What happens next?
The Scottish Government has indicated that final figures for ministers' World Cup-related travel will be published in due course, according to the same FOI disclosure. No date has been set for this further release, and no formal review or hearing into the spending has been announced.
Key Facts
- Total cost of the US trips for Swinney, Todd and officials: £98,442
- Business-class flights for Swinney and his private secretary: £17,893 each
- Business-class flight for special adviser Colin McAllister: £9,864
- Economy flights for Todd and four officials to Miami: £5,485
- Government travel rules restrict business class to flights over ten hours "unless otherwise agreed"
