Scotland's First Minister John Swinney embarked on a flying visit to the US to push for lower whisky tariffs. But there was more to this transatlantic trip than met the eye

If anyone had a smidgen of doubt that campaigning for the Scottish Parliament elections has begun in earnest, the news that John Swinney was on a plane to America would have erased it.

Not to be confused with the Mr Smith who went to Washington to fight corruption, Mr Swinney was in DC to push for lower whisky tariffs. The announcement was timed so that the local TV news bulletins could lead with the story that he was en route. How glamorous. I’m John, fly me.

You do wonder why he has launched himself into this shuttle diplomacy. Certainly, it’s an important issue. The Scotch Whisky Association says the current 10% tariff is costing the industry £4 million a week in lost exports. But the tariffs were announced months ago. What happened to make Mr Swinney decide he had to jump on a plane right now, like some international peace envoy or disaster relief co-ordinator?

The answer lies in the not-too-distant future, when the US President arrives for an unprecedented second state visit. What seemed a bad idea when Sir Keir Starmer handed over the invitation now looks like a terrible one, given the changing circumstances of both leaders. Where to begin? Let’s start with the........

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