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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary expenses amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."