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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by Donald Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional costs totalling nearly £24.5 million for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the Westminster's refusal to provide funding as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the US president held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

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

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

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

The Finance Secretary stated: "After your decision not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to Scotland in July 2025 and the following visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to ask that you review this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the trips."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established 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 believed that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a official trip … Especially when you have the PM Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, holding joint briefings with them, conducting international business with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a private holiday trip."