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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost 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

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent approximately 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 trips placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the largest in the country since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your choice not to provide funding to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in connection with the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a private holiday trip."