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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the largest in Scotland since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit came after a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its funding guidelines.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."