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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs amounting to almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses incurred in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." 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 British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."