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

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary expenses totalling almost £24.5m for the pair of working visits have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both visits were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held meetings with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a week-long period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the biggest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for costs accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President JD Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a formal invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."