Trump hits back at ‘hasbeen’ former first minister after losing appeal against planning permission for offshore turbines near Aberdeenshire golf course

He may be the clear poll leader in the Republican presidential race and have been found by his doctor to be in “astonishingly excellent” health, but the singular charms of Donald Trump have failed to work on the supreme court in London.

Five justices at Britain’s highest court have rejected the property mogul’s attempt to prevent an offshore windfarm being built within sight of his golf course in Scotland, dismissing his appeal against planning permission for the turbines that was granted by Scottish ministers.

Their decision prompted an extraordinary war of words between the billionaire and the former Scottish first minister Alex Salmond, who branded Trump “three times a loser”, referring to the fact that he had suffered repeated defeats in the Scottish courts before taking his fight to the supreme court. Trump’s successive appeals had “at best postponed, and at worst jeopardised, a vital £200m boost for the economy of the north-east of Scotland”, Salmond said.

But the Trump Organisation hit back at Salmond in a pointed and characteristically colourful statement: “Does anyone care what this man thinks? He’s a hasbeen and totally irrelevant. The fact that he doesn’t even know what’s going on in his own constituency says it all ... He should go back to doing what he does best: unveiling pompous portraits of himself that pander to his already overinflated ego.”

The two men were once warm allies, after Salmond backed Trump’s £750m development of the Menie golf resort in Aberdeenshire, and after planning permission had initially been refused by Aberdeenshire council.

But they fell out over plans for the windfarm, and the US property mogul, whose mother was Scottish, wrote a blistering open letter in 2012 that accused Salmond of being “hellbent on destroying Scotland’s coastline and therefore Scotland itself”. Trump, 69, did not appear in person at the supreme court for any of the hearings.

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The Trump Organisation said it was considering appealing to the European court. Their lawyers had appealed on two grounds: that Scottish ministers had no power to grant consent to the windfarm application, and that there was a problem with the design application.

In their ruling, the judges said: “It is clear that the consent contains a mechanism enabling the Scottish ministers to use both the construction method statement and the design statement to regulate the design of the windfarm in the interests of environmental protection, and to require compliance with those statements.”

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The Menie estate was purchased by Trump in 2006 and transformed into a golf resort on protected coastal dunes north of Aberdeen. In 2011, Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm Ltd applied for consent under the Electricity Act 1989 to construct an electricity generating station and offshore wind turbines off Aberdeenshire. Permission was granted by the Scottish government in 2013 for 11 turbines, which Trump says will be a “monstrous” blight on the coastal landscape. The turbines will be about two miles from the course.

George Sorial, executive vice-president of the Trump Organization in New York, said: “This is an extremely unfortunate verdict for the residents of Aberdeen and anyone who cares about Scotland’s economic future. The European Offshore Wind Deployment Centre (EOWDC) will completely destroy the bucolic Aberdeen Bay and cast a terrible shadow upon the future of tourism for the area.



“History will judge those involved unfavourably and the outcome demonstrates the foolish, small-minded and parochial mentality which dominates the current Scottish government’s dangerous experiment with wind energy. With oil prices plummeting ... the EOWDC will never be built, and comments that suggest otherwise are nothing more than delusional posturing. We will evaluate the court’s decision and continue to fight this proposal on every possible front.”

But Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s SNP energy minister, said: “I am pleased that the supreme court has unanimously found in our favour. The proposed EOWDC is an important project for Aberdeen and north-east Scotland. Aberdeen is already of global importance for hydrocarbons, and this wind deployment centre cements its role in renewable offshore development, further positioning Aberdeen as the energy capital of Europe and a world energy centre.”

Patrick Harvie, economy spokesperson for the Scottish Greens and MSP for Glasgow, said: “This crucial project has been delayed for too long by one rich climate change denier. This is the latest rejection for an irrational bully whose brand is increasingly toxic.”



Referring to earlier controversial comments made on the US campaign trail, Salmond also said of Trump: His behaviour and comments are unlikely to attract the votes of many Mexican Americans or Muslim Americans. Given his treatment of Scotland, Scots Americans are likely to join the ever growing list of people alienated by Trump.”

Lang Banks, WWF’s Scotland director, said: “This result is great news for Scotland and for all those interested in tackling climate change and creating jobs. Having failed in his attempt to undermine Scotland’s renewables ambitions, it’s now time for Mr Trump to move on.



“Once up and running, this test facility will be ideally placed to help test the technologies needed to harness Scotland’s huge offshore renewables potential, ensuring learning by industry, and playing an important role in helping to drive down costs. We hope developing this important scheme can now quickly progress,” he said.

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Gary McGovern, energy and planning partner at the law firm Pinsent Masons, said: “Donald Trump will be hoping he has more success at the US ballot box than he does in the courts. Today’s decision is long overdue, but is still a welcome shot in the arm for offshore wind and the wider UK renewables industry. In pursuing a weak argument described previously in the court of session as ‘fallacious’, this case has perpetuated a lingering doubt over longstanding legal principles, and that has been to the detriment of the whole energy industry.

“Developers will therefore breathe a sigh of relief and it is hoped that this and other projects affected can now gather pace, without the threat of costly legal challenges and delays on similarly dubious grounds hanging over them.”

Andy Paine, a director at Aberdeen Offshore Wind Farm Ltd, the company behind the project, said: “This is another significant step forward for the EOWDC. It affirms the scheme’s potential to position Scotland, and particularly the north-east, as a centre of innovative offshore wind power. The project partners remain committed to seeing the EOWDC come to fruition and delivering long-term economic benefits to the region.”