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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling nearly £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire 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, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

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

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."