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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

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

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly 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 stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which case it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."