Whitehall push for Open at Trump's Turnberry

Senior Whitehall officials have asked golf bosses whether they can host the 2028 Open championship at Donald Trump's Turnberry course after repeated requests from the US president, sources have told the Guardian.

- Kiran Stacey

Sources said officials had asked bosses at the R&A, which organises the world's oldest major golf championship, what the hurdles would be to hosting the 2028 Open at Turnberry.

One source described the talks as direct lobbying from the government, though others said officials had asked about hypothetical problems with the idea rather than insisting it happen. One person with knowledge of the discussions said: "The government is doing everything it can to get close to Trump. One concrete thing is that the Department of Media, Culture and Sport have been involved in pushing for the Open to return to Trump-owned Turnberry."

The DCMS and Trump Turnberry declined to comment.

Two other people briefed on conversations between Trump and Keir Starmer said the president had asked the prime minister multiple times about hosting the Open at Turnberry, which the Trump Organization has owned since 2014.