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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously work-related, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "significant operational and financial burdens on Scottish public services, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the largest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is believed that visit followed a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."