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The British administration is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

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

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant 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 £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3m.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was just a personal vacation."