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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Holyrood official.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were obviously work-related, noting that the American leader held discussions with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the estimated expense for policing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This complex security mission was the largest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this decision and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the trips were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the British administration reimbursed the expense of Trump’s 2018 visit to the nation, it is understood that trip came after a official invitation from Westminster, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer spending time with the president, having press conferences with him, conducting international business with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."