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

Significant Provisional Costs Revealed

Preliminary expenses totalling nearly £24.5m for the two official trips have been published by the Scottish government.

Ivan McKee labeled the UK government's unwillingness to offer financial support as "absurd," stating that both trips were clearly official, pointing out that the American leader held meetings with EU Commission president the EU's von der Leyen and British PM Keir Starmer during his July visit in the northern nation.

Details of the Trips and Related Policing Costs

The former president visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie over a five-day trip in July, while American VP Vance spent approximately four days in Ayrshire in August.

In a written communication to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Finance Secretary Shona Robison stated that the visits placed "significant operational and financial burdens on public services in Scotland, especially the Scottish police force."

The Edinburgh administration calculates that the estimated expense for securing the president's trip alone was £21m, which reflected maximum daily assignments of over four thousand police, while expenses for the vice-president’s trip were approximately £3 million.

Complex Policing Operation

This complex security mission was the largest in the country since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and included local officers, national divisions, special constables and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary wrote: "After your decision not to offer financial support to the Scottish government for expenses accrued in relation to the trip of Donald Trump to the nation in July 2025 and the subsequent trip of Vice-President Vance, I am contacting you to request that you review this stance and offer full reimbursement for the cost of the visits."

UK Government Reply and Past Precedent

The UK government maintained that the visits were personal and "not part of official government duties." A representative added: "Holyrood are responsible for policing costs in Scotland as per established funding agreements for devolved matters."

While the Finance Secretary referenced past instances where the UK government reimbursed the cost of the president's 2018 trip to Scotland, it is understood that trip came after a formal UK government invitation, in which case it included security costs 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 Keir Starmer meeting with Donald Trump, having press conferences with them, engaging in international business with him, its really hard to believe to say this was merely a private holiday trip."