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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant 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 unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in July, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."