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The UK government is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been published by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee labeled the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day period in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister James Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government estimates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

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

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and offer complete repayment for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The UK government stated that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the British administration reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that visit followed a formal invitation from Westminster, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir meeting with the president, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."