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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "After your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."