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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m cost incurred during recent visits by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Substantial Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary costs totalling almost £24.5 million for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee labeled the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his summer stay in Scotland.

Details of the Visits and Associated Security Expenses

The former president toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long period in July, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison wrote that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "After your decision not to provide funding to the Scottish government for costs incurred in relation to the visit of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration maintained that the visits were personal and "not official UK government business." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in the country as per agreed funding agreements for devolved matters."

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

"The UK government needs to step up and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer meeting with the president, having press conferences with him, engaging in global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."