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

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both trips were clearly work-related, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."