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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary costs totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."