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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

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

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for policing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the largest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in connection with the visit of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and provide full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the UK government covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."