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The British administration is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

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

Public Finance Minister McKee described the UK government's refusal to provide funding as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, 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 the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Related Security Expenses

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in the summer, while US vice-president Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive policing operation was the largest in the country since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the visit 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 decision and provide complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the trips were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative commented: "The Scottish government must cover policing costs in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary pointed to past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of Trump’s 2018 visit to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which instance it included security costs under its funding guidelines.

"The UK government needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was clearly a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with the president, holding joint briefings with him, conducting international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."