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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

UK Government 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 Robison pointed to previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."