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The UK government is being called upon to "take responsibility" and reimburse the £24.5m expense incurred during recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Holyrood official.

Significant Estimated Expenses Revealed

Preliminary costs amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating 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 Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Trips and Associated Policing Costs

The former president visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a written communication to the Treasury’s chief secretary Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary wrote that the visits placed "substantial strains and costs on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Scottish government estimates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip by itself was £21m, which involved maximum daily assignments of more than 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were about £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This extensive security mission was the biggest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for specialist support.

Robison stated: "After your choice not to provide funding to Scotland for costs accrued in connection with the trip of President Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the following visit of VP JD Vance, I am contacting you to ask that you reconsider this stance and offer full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Response and Past Precedent

The UK government stated that the trips were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson added: "Holyrood are responsible for security expenses in the country as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

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 visit followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster must take action and cover the cost. I think it’s ridiculous, it was obviously a official trip … Particularly when you have the prime minister Sir Keir spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was merely a personal vacation."