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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

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

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."