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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in July, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

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