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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in July, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit came after a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."