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The British administration is being urged 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 top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with them, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."