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

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly official, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."