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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously official, noting that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit came after a formal 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 ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."