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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were clearly official, pointing out that the US president 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

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a week-long period in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around four days in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which reflected peak daily deployments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the biggest in the country since the passing of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, national divisions, special constables and officers from across the UK for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "Following your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs incurred in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration stated that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison pointed to past instances where the UK government covered the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the PM Sir Keir meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a personal vacation."