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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover 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 Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both trips were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to 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 invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time 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."