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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been made public by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in July, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

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 Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that trip came after a formal 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 work visit … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."