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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

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

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a private holiday trip."