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

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison pointed to previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."