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The UK government is being urged to "step up" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during the recent trips by Donald Trump and Vice-President Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a senior Scottish minister.

Significant Estimated Expenses Disclosed

Provisional expenses totalling nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been published by the Scottish government.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "ridiculous," stating that both trips were obviously official, 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 visit in Scotland.

Details of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president toured his golf courses at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a week-long trip in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in August.

In a written communication 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 Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive policing operation was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved local officers, national divisions, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you review this stance and offer complete repayment for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

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

While the Finance Secretary pointed to previous precedent where the UK government reimbursed the expense of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is believed that visit followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

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