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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

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

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

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

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit came after a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."