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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously official, noting that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

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

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."