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

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the US president held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

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

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that trip came after a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."