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The British administration is being urged to "take responsibility" and cover the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Preliminary costs totalling nearly £24.5m for the pair of official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to provide funding as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were obviously official, noting that the US president held meetings with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Sir Keir Starmer during his July visit in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent approximately a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister James Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which reflected peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex policing operation was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison wrote: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for costs accrued in relation to 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 review this stance and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Previous Example

The UK government maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "The Scottish government must cover security expenses in the country as per established devolved funding arrangements."

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

"Westminster needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Particularly when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with the president, holding joint briefings with them, engaging in global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."