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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."