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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

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

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously work-related, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

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

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "Holyrood must cover security expenses in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is believed that visit came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its funding guidelines.

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