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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

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

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

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

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."