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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary expenses amounting to almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

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

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the biggest in Scotland 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: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that trip followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."