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

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly official, noting that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, special constables and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the British administration covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."