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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister 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."