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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5m cost incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and Vice-President Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Substantial Estimated Expenses Revealed

Provisional expenses totalling almost £24.5 million for the pair of official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly work-related, pointing out that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July stay in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump toured his golfing resorts at Turnberry and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, particularly Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the presidential visit alone was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than four thousand police, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Large-Scale Security Mission

This extensive security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of the late Queen in 2022, and included regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

Robison stated: "Following your choice not to offer financial support to Scotland for expenses incurred in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent visit of VP Vance, I am writing you to request that you reconsider this decision and offer complete repayment for the expense of the visits."

UK Government Response and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were private and "not part of official government duties." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in Scotland as per established devolved funding arrangements."

While Robison referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that visit followed a official invitation from Westminster, in which case it covered protection expenses 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 Sir Keir spending time with the president, having press conferences with them, engaging in international business with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."