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The UK government is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million expense incurred during the recent trips by former President Trump and JD Vance to Scotland, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5 million for the two official trips have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Ivan McKee described the UK government's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both visits were obviously work-related, noting that the US president held discussions with European Union chief the EU's von der Leyen and UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer during his summer visit in Scotland.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Security Expenses

Donald Trump visited his golf courses at Turnberry and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while US vice-president JD Vance spent around a long weekend in Ayrshire in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the trips placed "significant strains and costs on public services in Scotland, particularly Police Scotland."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for policing the president's trip by itself was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of over 4,000 officers, while expenses for the VP's visit were approximately £3 million.

Large-Scale Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the passing of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, specialist units, volunteer officers and officers from across the UK for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for costs incurred in connection with the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of Vice-President Vance, I am writing you to ask that you reconsider this stance and provide complete repayment for the cost of the trips."

UK Government Response and Previous Example

The British administration stated that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "The Scottish government are responsible for policing costs in Scotland 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 the nation, it is understood that visit came after a formal UK government invitation, in which case it covered security costs under its statement of funding policy.

"The UK government must take action and pay. I think it’s ridiculous, it was clearly a work visit … Especially when you have the prime minister Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, conducting global diplomacy with them, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."